{"id":2123121,"date":"2023-12-12T17:28:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T22:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/foreign-run-organized-theft-rings-ravaging-us-retail-stores-with-immigrant-shoplifters-fbi\/"},"modified":"2023-12-12T17:37:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T22:37:01","slug":"foreign-run-organized-theft-rings-ravaging-us-retail-stores-with-immigrant-shoplifters-fbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/foreign-run-organized-theft-rings-ravaging-us-retail-stores-with-immigrant-shoplifters-fbi\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI: Immigrant shoplifters fueling foreign-run theft rings in US retail"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fforeign-run-organized-theft-rings-ravaging-us-retail-stores-with-immigrant-shoplifters-fbi%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=2123121&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>Federal Investigators Uncover \u200cInternational\u200c Crime Rings\u200b Behind Major Retail Thefts<\/h2>\n<p>Federal \u200binvestigators\u2064 have made a \u2064startling \u2062discovery, linking major retail theft \u200cincidents to\u200c criminal\u2062 organizations\u200b in Europe and South America. These sophisticated foreign crime rings are sending non-U.S. citizens into \u2064the \u200bUnited States with\u2064 one\u2062 objective: to steal. <\/p>\n<p>According to officials from\u200b the \u2064FBI and \u200bDepartment of Homeland Security, these\u200c thefts have contributed to a staggering $112 billion in retail losses in\u200d 2022, a significant\u200d increase from $94 \u200dbillion in 2021. The impact is undeniable, and action\u200c needs \u200dto be taken.<\/p>\n<h3>Foreign-Based Crime Rings Target U.S.\u200c Retailers<\/h3>\n<p>The \u2063U.S. \u200dImmigration and \u200bCustoms\u2063 Enforcement&#8217;s Homeland Security\u2064 Investigations arm has launched investigations into these organized\u200d crime \u2062rings. Their focus\u2062 is on\u200d identifying the masterminds behind these \u2063operations, and they have successfully uncovered several foreign-based groups that \u2062continue to target and harm U.S. retailers.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;One such example \u2064is \u2063the South American Theft Groups (SATGs), \u200bwhich include organizations based in \u200cColombia, \u2063Chile, and other countries,&#8221; said \u2064Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge\u200c for HSI, in written \u200dtestimony.\u2062 &#8220;These groups recruit members and facilitate travel \u200binto \u200bthe United \u2062States\u2064 for individuals who then commit strategic \u200dthefts of high-value electronic devices. Items are stolen, consolidated, shipped to another location in the United States, and ultimately illicitly exported to foreign countries.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Another notable crime \u200cring is the Romanian organized theft\u2063 groups\u2062 (ROTG)\u200c based in Eastern \u200dEurope. These groups recruit individuals to\u200c travel \u2064to the U.S. to commit \u200cvarious\u2062 crimes, including retail theft.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;A recent HSI investigation in Missouri revealed\u2064 an ROTG, comprised of previously deported individuals, that wired illicit proceeds to Romania \u200band other international destinations,&#8221; Krol said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>International\u200c Collaboration to Combat Retail Theft<\/h3>\n<p>The FBI has \u2062launched an initiative targeting the South American theft groups and has shared intelligence with law\u200c enforcement agencies worldwide. These groups primarily consist of\u2063 citizens from \u200bChile and\u200d other South\u200c American\u200d countries\u2062 who exploit tourist visas to travel to and\u2062 from the\u2064 U.S.\u2064 for the \u200dpurpose of \u200dstealing and shipping \u2064stolen goods\u200c internationally.<\/p>\n<p>In the government&#8217;s fiscal 2023 year, various agencies, including\u2063 HSI,\u200d the Secret\u200c Service, \u200bICE&#8217;s Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Citizenship\u2062 and Immigration Services, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, worked together \u2064to prevent suspected \u2064members of these crime rings from\u200c entering the U.S. \u200dand to apprehend \u2062immigrants already in the \u2064country.<\/p>\n<h3>Innovative Tactics Used\u200d by Eastern \u2064European Thieves<\/h3>\n<p>The National Retail Federation \u2064(NRF) has reported that a group of 170 Eastern European individuals has been using unique methods to steal merchandise from \u2062stores.\u200c These thieves wear specially\u200b designed skirts with hidden bags and pouches,\u2063 allowing them to steal a significant amount of \u200dproducts. This group has been responsible for 168 incidents nationwide, resulting in nearly\u2064 half \u2063a million dollars in stolen goods.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;For \u2063several years, we have had \u200ca group that travels from the West Coast to the East Coast for a 6\u20138-week period, stealing\u2063 ink cartridges up and down the I-95 \u200ccorridor. Investigations determined that\u2064 this\u2064 group operates an online ink cartridge store,&#8221; the NRF told \u2062the panel\u2064 in \u200ca written \u2064statement. &#8220;They fly to Boston\u200c every year, renting \u200ca vehicle for the purpose\u2062 of committing these \u2062thefts. They\u2063 travel up and down\u200d the East Coast, \u200cstopping at several retail stores daily. The stolen \u200bproduct \u200bis shipped back to California.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Although the identities of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/3-homeless-men-shot-wounded-in-wilmington\/\" title=\"3 homeless men injured in shooting in Wilmington.\">suspects remain unknown<\/a>, it is \u200bsuspected that at least one of them is\u200d not a \u200bU.S. \u2063citizen \u200band resides outside the country after being recorded \u200bcrossing into Mexico \u200cat \u2063the border.<\/p>\n<h3>Call for Congressional Action<\/h3>\n<p>The NRF has\u2064 urged \u200bCongress\u200c to pass \u2064the Combating\u200d Organized\u2064 Retail Crime Act, which \u200bwould facilitate collaboration between federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement \u200dagencies. \u2063This unified effort would be a game changer in \u2063combating\u2062 these organized crime\u2062 rings.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;One of\u2062 the challenges\u2062 with investigating Organized Retail Theft is that most \u2062of these crimes appear initially as\u200b state offenses, such as \u200bshoplifting, \u200cthat are not \u2064ordinarily reported\u2063 to the FBI\u200b and \u2062may not have a\u2062 clear connection\u2064 to a \u2062transnational criminal organization,&#8221; \u200bsaid FBI Deputy\u200b Assistant Director Jose A. Perez. &#8220;To address this challenge, the FBI continually\u2062 partners \u2062with \u200dstate and local\u200d law enforcement to\u200c share intelligence on crime trends\u200b and\u2062 patterns and create better networks\u2064 to identify the criminal actors.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u200d is crucial to take immediate action to protect U.S. retailers and prevent further losses caused by these \u200dinternational crime \u2064rings.\u200b Collaboration\u200d and intelligence sharing among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-governor-encourages-people-to-call-police-on-neighbors-violating-covid-orders\/\" title=\"Oregon Governor Encourages People To Call Police On Neighbors Violating COVID Orders\">law enforcement agencies<\/a> are key to dismantling these \u2064operations\u2063 and \u2062bringing the perpetrators to justice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/federal-investigators-international-crime-rings-major-retail-thefts\">Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How are retailers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2nd-of-4-men-who-escaped-from-central-georgia-jail-has-been-caught-sheriffs-office-says\/\" title=\"2nd escaped inmate from Central Georgia Jail caught, says Sheriff's Office.\">law enforcement agencies \u200bworking<\/a> together \u2063to combat innovative theft tactics?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Have revealed that this group is \u200bfrom\u2064 \u2062Eastern \u2063Europe and operates in an organized manner,&#8221;\u200d said Cathy Smith, vice president of loss prevention at the NRF.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>To combat these innovative\u2063 tactics, retailers and law enforcement agencies are \u2064working\u2062 together to implement stricter security measures, enhance surveillance \u200btechnology, \u2062and share intelligence to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. The NRF has recommended increased collaboration between retailers, security solution providers, and law enforcement agencies to develop new strategies to prevent and \u2062deter theft.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The uncovering of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-kevin-brady-biden-engaging-in-cover-up-of-massive-pandemic-relief-fraud\/\" title=\"Rep. Kevin Brady: Biden Engaging in Cover-Up of \u201cMassive\u201d Pandemic Relief Fraud\">international crime rings<\/a>\u200b behind major retail thefts highlights the\u200d \u200bcomplexity \u200cand global nature\u200d of modern criminal \u200dorganizations. It \u200cis vital for federal investigators and law enforcement agencies to work together, share intelligence, and coordinate efforts to dismantle these crime rings and bring the perpetrators to justice. By\u2062 implementing innovative strategies and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fugitive-child-rapist-was-admitted-into-us-on-tourist-visa\/\" title=\"Child rapist entered US on tourist visa\">tighter security measures<\/a>, retailers can protect their businesses and provide a safer environment for their customers. The fight against international crime requires international collaboration, and it is through cooperation and diligence \u200dthat\u2062 the \u2063battle against these \u2064crime rings can be won.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal investigators have traced retail theft to European and South American criminal groups. These organizations dispatch non-U.S. citizens to the U.S. solely for stealing. Operatives are flown in to cause maximum damage at major stores, and these thefts have had a significant impact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2123122,"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-2123121","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\/2123121","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=2123121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2123121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2123122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2123121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2123121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2123121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}