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Lego’s fanbase, which famously includes children, youth and adult creditors, has seen some obnoxious characters get destroyed in combinations and for all the inappropriate reasons.
LEGO products, especially the expensive units ranging in size from $100 to $1,000 or more, are being targeted by individual shopkeepers and large organized retail crime gangs for looting, paving a way for the units sitting on bind shelves because They may be. Capable of achieving excellent profits on resale in both criminal and illegal channels.
Miguel Zuniga, who operates the Bricks & Minifigs LEGO resale franchise Bind in Lumita, Los Angeles County, is still dealing with a break-in on June 18.
The Lego robbery occurred around 5 a.m. that Tuesday morning.
“I was sleeping, and the ADT security system called me. Just then my wife called. I went straight to the camera and saw that we were being robbed,” Zuniga told CNN.
He estimates they were caught within 10 minutes, even though the thieves had long since left – with about $5,000 to $7,000 of Lego.
Retail crime professionals told CNN that stolen Lego units are easy to resell, in most cases they are hard to track and if they are in mint condition and untouched they are able to fetch the equivalent of untouched retail value. Can happen. Even worn units under critical conditions can travel up to fifty% of the untouched value.
In recent months, looters have stolen Lego in several states.
Before this moment, police in California had arrested two community members in connection with a retail robbery ring who allegedly stole thousands of Lego toys from several stores in Southern California, according to CNN affiliate KABC.
LAPD detectives recovered more than 2,800 gardens of Lego toys, with retail prices ranging from $20 to $1,000 per product, the report quoted a police note.
In Philadelphia, police have recorded a series of Lego All Set thefts at stores like Barnes & Noble and Goal in recent months, with stolen units ranging in price from $250 to $1,000 each. Goll told CNN that he had no knowledge of paying a percentage on Lego thefts at his retail stores. Barnes & Noble did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
And north of the border, in Richmond, British Columbia, police seized more than 1,000 stolen toys in March. Some of the items stolen were over $150,000 worth of Lego equipment and other plush toys.
Even if hard information is hard to sift through, professionals have noted that LEGO units in conjunction with branded denim, purses, clothier shoes, Olay skin care and Apple merchandise automatically make the top 10. are one of the most commonly stolen retail products.
“Lego is unique. The brand is always refreshing its offerings, always staying on trend with its association with pop culture and special edition sets,” said Lern Hayes, a criminologist at Florida College and director of the Loss Prevention Analysis Council, which partners with Walmart. Let’s come. , target, home stock and hole.
Hayes told CNN that his team works with most stores that sell Lego products in addition to the Legoland theme grounds. “The demand is always there.”
Because of this, not only is there now a market for stolen LEGO products, but there is also a growing market for counterfeits, especially online.
Casey Slaughter, a captain in the Wichita, Kansas, police section who heads its specialty crimes bureau, may be too addicted to Lego crimes.
“We see Lego toys as one of the most commonly stolen items in our area,” Slaughter told CNN. “Any retailer selling the brand is vulnerable to LEGO theft, but we also have some LEGO-specific secondhand stores that have come forward as resellers. They are being targeted.”
It’s easy cash for Lego thieves, he said. “It is difficult to track where they were stolen from,” he said.
Between January 8, 2024, and May 7, 2024, Wichita police investigated 19 Lego thefts, according to police section information provided to CNN. Information indicated that the theft involved units based on the films Superstar Wars, Indiana Jones and Again to the Past.
When contacted for comment, Lego directed CNN to online sources on its website to teach customers how to recognize fake online Lego retail stores and counterfeit Lego products.
In California, several Bricks & Minifigs retail stores were looted since April.
“This is probably our fourth or fifth hit that’s primarily Lego related. “They happen rapidly, 30 seconds to a minute,” Captain Kelvin Mah of the Major Crimes Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Segment said in an interview with CNN regarding the thefts at Zuniga Dam.
“In watching surveillance video, I could see them targeting specific Lego sets. They knew exactly what they were looking for. They wanted high-end and high-value sets, rare or collectible sets,” he said.
Zuniga became emotional while speaking to CNN about the theft.
At the close of cleaning up his work the month of the burglary, Zuniga went home to take a shower.
“When I came back I sent a message to the community asking them to come and support us in our time of need,” he said. Shoppers flocked here, some even donating their Lego units. He purchased Lego units to fill empty shelves that were on sale at the local Goal.
“At 9 a.m., the first customer who came in was a 71-year-old man who has built some of the most expensive Lego sets,” Zuniga said crying, his personal expression breaking. “He is our local legend. He appeared to be immersed in tears.”