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Police in Oregon seized more than $200,000 in allegedly stolen Legos from a store in the Eugene area last week.
In a news release, the Springfield Police Department revealed that its Crime Reduction Unit carried out a search warrant at a shop named Brick Builders on July 3. Per police, this was preceded by an investigation involving loss prevention reps from various businesses in the area, including Walmart and Target, spanning three months.
In short, evidence is said to have been found that pointed to the owner of Brick Builders, Ammon Henrikson, "knowingly purchasing new, unopened sets of Legos" that had been lifted from other stores and flipped for cash.
All told, police say they seized 4,153 sets of Legos totaling more than $200,000 in retail value. A report from regional outlet KVAL notes that Henrikson, 47, was arrested and charged with organized retail theft and receiving stolen property, as was an individual by the name of Albert Nash, 57.
"We all feel the impact of organized retail theft through the increasing cost of items we buy for our families," Springfield Police Department Chief Andrew Shearer said on Tuesday. "Recognizing this, SPD’s Crime Reduction Unit, with the support of our retail partners, works diligently to hold accountable those who make the choice to engage in or support retail theft. SPD is proud of the work of our officers, and we are committed to the pursuit of those behind these crimes in our community."
Incredibly, this isn’t the first such incident to make headlines, not even this year. In June, two people in Long Beach were slapped with charges after a six-month investigation led police to nearly 3,000 boxes of stolen Lego sets. A local Target store was at the center of that case, which ultimately spurred organized retail theft and grand theft charges for the suspects.
