Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force - Walgreens ORC Team & police bust "extensive" theft ring - stole hundreds of thousands in plastic materials from more than a dozen companies - Shipping Tons to China  The Northbrook-based corporation Organized Retail Crime Department, along with organized-crime investigators from Chicago Police, busted an "extensive" theft ring that had stolen thousands of dollars in plastic materials from more than a dozen companies and the United States Postal Service, police said in a statement. The plastic items (mostly totes, pallets, trays and other things used to move merchandise around) were traced to a warehouse at 1435 W. Exchange Ave., in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. There, they were "reduced to very small plastic pieces with the use of heavy machinery" then sold and shipped to China, police said. "It is likely that tons of stolen plastic has already been shipped," the police statement said.

The owner of that building cooperated with the investigation, police said, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen plastic - belonging to major corporations like Walgreens, Pepsico, Jewel-Osco, Turano Baking Company, Aunt Millie's Bakeries and CVS Pharmacy, in addition to USPS - were recovered and are being returned to their original owners.

The investigation was prompted when Walgreens noticed a spike in thefts throughout its Midwest facilities, including Chicago. Tens of thousands of dollars of its plastic totes had been stolen, according to police.

"Property theft is a serious issue that all retailers face and it is something we investigate aggressively. This investigation is a great example of how through the Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force companies can work with the Chicago Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to address issues that affect the entire community. We thank the police officers and retail investigators that worked diligently together on this investigation," said Jerry Biggs, Director of Organized Retail Crime at Walgreens. dnainfo.com

East Coast Fraudulent Credit Card Ring busted in New Albany, Miss.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol and New Albany Police Department think they have uncovered a national credit card fraud operation. In this case where six people were arrested. Police say they loaded around $4,000 in gift cards from the Lowe's in Tupelo and tried to do the same thing at the Lowe's in New Albany. A clerk there noticed the information didn't match up with one of those who was arrested. So far, the police don't know how many people had their information stolen. "Right now, there's only been a couple that we been able to find in the northeast Mississippi area, but there again, there are some other aspects that the federal agents are trying to help us with to determine exactly what the scope is," said Robertson. wtva.com

Small Retailer in Minnesota facing Large shoplifting problems
Shoplifting headaches are nothing new to retailers big or small, but a case at Patina, the upscale Twin Cities gift boutique, illustrates how tricky the problem can be to resolve. The Star Tribune reports on the arrest of a Minneapolis man last week who, Patina employees say, worked with accomplices on more than half-a-dozen thefts over the past several months. He hasn't entered a plea. The total losses - generally in the form of pricey blankets - totaled only about $5,000. Co-founder Christine Ward said that the man struck one of her clerks who challenged him, then threw rocks at the car of a customer who tried to follow him. There also were frustrations with the police: Ward said the St. Paul and Minneapolis departments didn't seem to share information about the crimes, and cops generally responded too late to catch the alleged thieves. bizjournals.com

June 3rd two male suspects hit Nordstrom's King of Prussia Mall - $3,000 to $5,000 denim clothing fled in blue Chrysler minivan