admin Four people in their middle-aged years were apprehended in Southern California this week after law enforcement discovered them in possession of around $300,000 worth of stolen Lego sets, as claimed by the California Highway Patrol.
Lego sets, the tiny plastic bricks that cause excruciating pain when stepped on barefoot. It appears that some individuals hold such a strong affinity for these toys that they are willing to pay an unexpected price to buy them.
Reported by the California Highway Patrol, the suspects, ages between 35 and 47, targeted various stores in the search of limited-edition Lego box sets. Subsequently, they allegedly dispersed their plunder across four separate stash houses in Los Angeles and Orange counties, where officers executed search warrants on Tuesday.
Surprisingly, this scenario is not the only occurrence. Similar thefts have been reported in Philadelphia and Green Bay, Wisconsin. A Lego specialty store in Las Vegas, inaugurated in 2022, has been reported at least four times in the year 2023, part of what Inside Edition termed a nationwide surge of “Lego Larceny.”
As shocking as it may sound, rare and highly sought-after Lego sets are traded online akin to precious metals or cryptocurrencies.
Many online accounts detail Lego thefts, with criminals breaking through glass storefronts and stealing toy stores masked and hooded. Surveillance footage captures one diminutive offender leaping repeatedly in an attempt to access the most valuable Lego boxes stored on high shelves.
The four individuals apprehended in Southern California this week face charges related to organized retail theft, grand theft, and conspiracy.
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