Oregon State Police put the case together piece by piece… all of which led to a massive Lego bust and a toy store owner accused of buying Lego pieces stolen from a competitor.
Here’s what happened… Springfield Police Department says evidence was uncovered after three months of investigation Armon HenriksenThe owner of a Brick Builders toy store in Eugene knowingly purchased new, unopened Lego sets stolen from local retail stores.
Springfield Police Department – Oregon
Police say more than $200,000 worth of stolen toys were recovered during a raid at Brick Builders. In total, more than 4,000 stolen Lego sets were found in the store, police said.
And, police say, thieves sold Lego sets to stores at a fraction of the retail price and allegedly used the money to purchase illegal drugs for their personal use.
SPD said they worked with loss prevention investigators from Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and Fred Meyer to confirm the Lego theft.
Henriksen, the store owner, and another man were both arrested and charged with organized retail theft and first-degree receiving theft, police said.
In interviews with some of the suspects, police said they were told toy store staff knew the Lego sets had been stolen.
As we previously reported… there was an explosion Black market for stolen LEGO bricks In California, thieves go to great lengths to steal toys directly from retail stores. Stolen items are being sold online and at swap meets.
The problem doesn’t appear to be limited to Southern California.
