Other crimes.
QUICK FACTS:
- According to Homeland Security, cartels are behind retail theft, not lawlessness at the hands of policymakers.
- Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Steve Francis said in a press release, “Organized retail crime is leading to more brazen and more violent attacks in retail stores throughout the country. Many of the criminal rings orchestrating these thefts are also involved in other serious criminal activity such as human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, weapon trafficking, and more.”
- “Tackling this growing threat is important to the safety of store employees, customers, and communities across the country,” Francis continued.
- Homeland Security Investigations is part of the department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- A report from Citizen Frank explained that “retail crimes are perpetrated by people who work as part of a crime ring run by cartels,” drawing upon information from HSI.
- “Unlike shoplifting, where an individual steals food due to hunger or related incidents of simple theft, [organized theft groups] illegally profit from systematically targeting retail establishments utilizing professional thieves known as ‘boosters,’” says HSI. “Often, boosters travel in crews throughout the country utilizing aliases, rental vehicles, and tools such as ‘booster bags’ and illegally acquired security keys to steal high-value merchandise.”
- Stolen materials are then passed to “fencers,” who list the items on shopping platforms.
- Individuals called “cleaners” hide the stolen nature of the items.
- Money launderers then channel the profits.
RETAIL CRIME VIDEOS DON’T APPEAR TO SHOW CARTELS:
- Although Homeland Security describes the process of organized crime from cartels, videos depicting live retail theft do not appear to show cartel members committing the crimes.
- One video depicts two individuals grabbing various makeup products and exiting the store without any confrontation.
- Another video shows a group of people fleeing a store in a “mass looting event.”
- A man is seen confronting individuals stealing products from a store, the thieves’ faces clearly visible.
- Although unconfirmed, the individuals in the videos above do not appear to be affiliated with a cartel, but merely taking advantage of bad city policies.
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported that a county in Virginia saw a 40% surge in shoplifting after a Soros-funded prosecutor would not handle theft crimes totaling less than $1,000.
- Prosecutor Steve Descano of Fairfax County also decreased abduction and burglary charges that originally would have placed someone in prison for more than 26 years.
- Descano won about 55% of the vote in the Democratic primary last month, positioning him for a likely second term as the top prosecutor for Fairfax County.
