Authorities in California have taken down a retail theft operation that spanned 21 counties and involved $8 million in stolen beauty products.
The California Highway Patrol announced the arrest of one person believed to be the ringleader of the statewide crime ring which was ultimately broken up following months of investigation.
CHP officials say the yet-to-be-named ring leader allegedly recruited and paid at least seven people to steal products from Ulta Beauty stores and other retail outlets across the state, which would then be sold through her Amazon storefront at deep discounts.
The multimillion-dollar scheme, authorities said, took place for nearly a decade.
The thefts occurred in Alameda, Placer, Kern, Contra Costa, Orange, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, Sacramento, San Mateo, Solano, Riverside, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Napa, Marin, Tulare, San Bernardino, Sonoma, Ventura and Yolo counties, according to CHP.
The investigation was conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies, in addition to the CHP, including the California Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Loss prevention teams from some of the targeted stores also took part in the operation.
Authorities had been investigating the crime ring, which was described as vast and complex, after more than 230 reported thefts at Ulta stores in Southern California. In August 2023, federal investigators requested the CHP Organized Retail Crime Task Force to take part in the investigation.
In December, search warrants were executed simultaneously at several locations across Southern California and multiple suspects were taken into custody.
The California DOJ has filed 140 felony counts related to the operation, including 136 counts of felony grand theft. Other charges include organized retail theft, conspiracy and receipt of stolen property.
On Friday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta held a news conference in San Diego, where the complaint was filed and where he said the ringleader of the scheme resided.
Bonta said nine people in total were charged, including three who were identified as illegal resellers known as “fences,” and six who were alleged to be those committing the thefts in stores. Bonta also said some of the crimes reached as far as the East Coast.
CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said the success of this particular investigation was made possible through collaboration with the various law enforcement partners and retailers who worked together to bring the operation down.
“Through increased collaborative efforts, retailers and law enforcement have become more efficient and effective in our fight against organized retail crime,” Duryee said in a news release.
The CHP Organized Retail Crime Task Force was established in 2019 to combat the rise of retail thefts, smash-and-grab burglaries and widespread shoplifting that has plagued the state in recent years.
Since its inception, the task force has been involved in more than 2,300 investigations, leading to the arrest of more than 2,200 suspects and the recovery of hundreds of thousands of stolen goods valued at more than $41 million, CHP officials said.
Anyone who may have information about retail theft are encouraged to report it directly to through the CHP website. Anyone who witness a retail crime as it happens is urged not to intervene, but rather call 911.