{"id":2015134,"date":"2023-08-29T06:08:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T10:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boosters-fencers-and-cleaners-inside-cartels-newest-criminal-enterprise-of-organized-retail-theft\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T06:13:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T10:13:12","slug":"boosters-fencers-and-cleaners-inside-cartels-newest-criminal-enterprise-of-organized-retail-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boosters-fencers-and-cleaners-inside-cartels-newest-criminal-enterprise-of-organized-retail-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside cartels&#8217; latest criminal venture: Organized retail theft by boosters, fencers, and cleaners."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fboosters-fencers-and-cleaners-inside-cartels-newest-criminal-enterprise-of-organized-retail-theft%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2015134&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A \u2062Nationwide Epidemic: Mayhem \u2062on Main \u200cStreet<\/h2>\n<p>A nationwide retail theft epidemic cost the United States close to $100 billion \u200bin 2021. Stores are being \u2062forced to raise prices or shut up shop, insurers are refusing to help, and\u2062 smaller mom and pop stores are being left behind. In this series, <strong>Mayhem on Main Street<\/strong>, the Washington Examiner will investigate the causes\u200c behind the scourge \u2063of shoplifting, the role of\u200c the cartels, the cost to stores big and small, and the complicity of\u200c lax prosecutors. \u200b <strong>Part\u2064 2<\/strong> investigates the role of the cartels. To read <strong>Part \u200b1<\/strong>, click <a href=\"#\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Cartels&#8217; Involvement<\/h3>\n<p>Mexican\u200d cartels are behind the spike in organized retail crime and are deeply \u2063entrenched in every level of the process, according to the federal\u200b government&#8217;s chief\u200b investigative agency.<\/p>\n<p>Retailers nationwide sustained nearly $100 billion worth of losses in 2021, the highest year on \u200brecord, according to the National Retail Federation report published in September 2022. \u200dThe growing number of cartel-run theft \u2063rings around the country drove\u200c that figure up from $70 \u200dbillion in 2019.<\/p>\n<h3>Helpless Small Businesses<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Organized retail crime is leading to more brazen and more\u200d violent \u2063attacks in retail stores throughout the\u200d country. Many\u200d of the criminal rings orchestrating these thefts \u2062are \u2064also involved in other serious criminal \u2063activity such\u2064 as human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, weapon trafficking, and more,&#8221; said Steve Francis, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-ag-despite-a-crisis-at-the-border-internal-emails-reveal-the-federal-government-is-effectively-abolishing-ice\/\" title=\"Arizona AG: Despite A Crisis At The Border, Internal Emails Reveal The Federal Government Is \u2018Effectively Abolishing ICE\u2019\">acting executive associate director<\/a> for Homeland Security Investigations,\u200d in\u200d a statement. HSI is part of the Department of \u200cHomeland Security&#8217;s Immigration and \u200bCustoms Enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The Retail Industry Leaders Association described the acceleration of organized retail crime \u2063in recent years as having \u2063&#8221;exploded.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In fact, 80% of retailers polled nationwide reported an \u2062increase in merchandise stolen \u2062in 2022, \u2063according to the\u2064 National Retail\u2062 Federation.<\/p>\n<p>No subindustry of retail\u200c is exempt. A spokeswoman for the home improvement corporation said Home Depot&#8217;s most targeted items have been\u2062 wire and wiring devices, power tools, and home automation products. When stores lock up those items, it only prompts thieves to\u200d focus on stealing other high-ticket items.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Organized retail crime is an ongoing issue, \u200cand\u200d it\u2064 has been on\u200d the \u2064rise over the \u2063last several years \u200bfor many \u200cretailers,&#8221; said Evelyn Fornes, Home Depot&#8217;s senior manager of public affairs.<\/p>\n<h3>The \u200bCost to Governments and Families<\/h3>\n<p>Organized retail crime has \u200dtaken a huge toll on federal and state governments, costing them $15 \u200bbillion in lost\u200d tax revenue, not including lost sales taxes, according to HSI.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the average family will fork up an extra $500 annually to cover rising costs\u2062 of goods as companies increase their prices to make up\u200d for stolen goods.<\/p>\n<h3>The Rise of Online Marketplaces<\/h3>\n<p>The type of mass-theft\u2064 seen around the nation, \u200bparticularly since the coronavirus pandemic began, is different than shoplifting, according to HSI. As the pandemic set in, people increasingly pivoted to purchasing items online, making it easier to sell stolen goods.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Organized retail crime exploded over the last few years as criminals exploited\u2062 the \u2062anonymity \u200dof third-party online marketplaces to fence billions in \u200cstolen products,&#8221; RILA Senior Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Michael\u2063 Hanson said in a\u2064 statement.<\/p>\n<p>These retail crimes are perpetrated by people who work as part of a \u2064crime ring run by cartels. In recent years, cartels have gone from illicit drug\u2062 manufacturing and smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking, and illegal firearm smuggling\u200b to \u2064commandeering crime in\u2063 the retail environment.<\/p>\n<p>Cartels are involved in \u200cevery level of retail crime, from in-store \u200ctheft and listing items in\u200d online marketplaces to shipping stolen\u200d merchandise worldwide and using U.S. financial institutions\u200c to hold their profits.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unlike shoplifting, where an individual steals food due to hunger or related incidents of simple theft, [organized theft groups] illegally profit from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boosters-fencers-and-cleaners-inside-cartels-newest-criminal-enterprise-of-organized-retail-theft\/\" title=\"Inside cartels' latest criminal venture: Organized retail theft by boosters, fencers, and cleaners.\">systematically targeting retail establishments utilizing professional thieves<\/a> known as\u2062 &#8216;boosters,'&#8221; according to HSI. &#8220;Often, boosters\u2063 travel in\u2064 crews throughout the\u2062 country utilizing aliases, rental vehicles, and tools \u2063such \u2062as &#8216;booster bags&#8217; and illegally \u2064acquired security \u200dkeys to steal high-value merchandise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Stolen items are \u2064then\u200d handed\u200b over to the second \u2063person in the theft ring: the &#8220;fencer&#8221; or &#8220;fence.&#8221; The fencer buys the merchandise from the\u200b booster at a discounted price and will list the item on a\u2064 number of platforms, including e-commerce websites such as eBay \u200dand Amazon, social\u2064 media, and wholesale or trading companies.<\/p>\n<p>Fencers will go to great lengths to conceal that the items were stolen. \u2064One example is using lighter fluid and heat guns to\u200d remove anti-theft stickers from goods. Once purchased,\u2064 goods may be shipped via cargo containers overseas to be sold.<\/p>\n<p>Kansas \u200cand Missouri are among the top 10 most affected states due to their \u2062prime \u200dlocation,\u200b according to \u200dKansas Attorney\u2063 General Kris Kobach.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The reason is almost certainly the\u2062 I-70 corridor, which has become a pipeline not only for \u200bdrugs but also for organized retail crime. There is\u200d a link between drug \u200btrafficking and organized\u200c retail crime,&#8221; Kobach said in prepared remarks for testimony before a House \u2062subcommittee in June. &#8220;The drug-addicted often become boosters in \u2064order to \u2062feed \u2064their habits, and some fences \u2064recruit them specifically.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Boosters &#8220;almost always&#8221; \u2063steal a dollar amount that is \u2063below the felony theft level, Kobach said. \u200dIn Kansas, that looks\u2064 like $900 worth of merchandise \u2064being stolen to\u2062 stay \u2062below the $1,000 \u200bfelony threshold.<\/p>\n<p>Boosters typically use &#8220;pushouts&#8221; or &#8220;rollouts,&#8221; throwing items in a cart or large bag and walking or \u200crunning out of the store, &#8220;knowing that\u200c the policy of \u2064the corporation\u2063 prohibits staff from stopping them,&#8221; according\u200d to Kobach.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;With this brazenness comes increased violence, with boosters sometimes assaulting or even using \u200dpepper \u200dspray against store personnel\u2062 who dare to intervene,&#8221; he\u200b said. &#8220;Boosters will hit the same specific store with impunity, sometimes as frequently as two to \u2064three times per\u2064 week.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>One such incident in April \u2063turned tragic\u200c when the booster was approached by Blake Mohs, a \u200c26-year-old Home Depot security guard in \u2064New Jersey. Mohs took back the stolen merchandise \u200dand was shot. The woman arrested after the shooting was identified as 32-year-old private security guard Benicia Knapps. Knapps picked up the stolen \u200bitem next to Mohs and \u200bran out after shooting him.<\/p>\n<p>Home Depot has since introduced\u2064 several \u200dinitiatives to mitigate theft, though Fornes did not share\u200d details.<\/p>\n<p>The final two steps in the theft cycle are left to the &#8220;cleaners,&#8221; whose job is to disguise the \u2064origins of \u2064stolen merchandise, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mexican-drug-cartels-are-behind-the-surge-in-retail-thefts\/\" title=\"Mexican cartels drive retail theft surge.\">professional money launderers<\/a> who funnel the profits, according to HSI.<\/p>\n<p>This summer,\u200d Congress cracked down on items sold on retail sites, \u2064including \u2062Amazon \u200band eBay. The INFORM Consumers Act, passed in June, has \u2062been the biggest\u200c step forward for retailers and law enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission issued a\u2062 warning to online \u200bsellers that it would, in\u200b fact, be cracking down as the law called for.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The \u200bindustry is hopeful that requiring online marketplaces to collect, verify and disclose\u200b information about \u200dhigh-volume third-party \u2063sellers, marketplaces will\u200b finally evict bad actors from their platforms,&#8221; RILA Senior Executive Vice President of\u2064 Retail Operations Lisa LaBruno said in\u2062 a statement when the bill was passed. &#8220;In turn, consumers can shop with more confidence that\u200d the \u200cproducts they purchase online are legitimate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fornes called \u200bit a positive first step \u200cfor how it takes\u200d away\u2062 the \u200b&#8221;cloak of anonymity&#8221; that professional shoplifters hide\u2062 behind \u200dwhen selling stolen merchandise\u200c online.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Now, Congress\u200b and states must focus on\u200d three paths forward: First, enforcing the new law of the land. Second, creating capacity for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cases through funding federal, state, and local\u200b task forces. And third, educating and training law enforcement and prosecutors on how to partner \u2063with retailers to combat dangerous criminals and organized crime,&#8221; Fornes said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Click\u2064 <a href=\"#\">here<\/a> to read more from the Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A $100 billion nationwide retail theft crisis in 2021 has led to price hikes, store closures, and neglect of small businesses. Insurers are uncooperative. The Washington Examiner&#8217;s series, Mayhem on Main Street, delves into the root causes of this issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2015135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2015134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2015134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2015134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}