New York
CNN
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Lego’s fanbase, which famously cuts throughout youngsters, youngsters and grownup collectors, is seeing some unsavory characters break into the combo, and for all of the flawed causes.
Lego merchandise, particularly the pricier units that vary from over $100 to $1,000 or extra, are being focused for theft each by particular person shoplifters and bigger organized retail crime rings who make a beeline for units sitting on retailer cabinets as a result of they’ll fetch a superb revenue at resale each in authorized and unlawful channels.
Miguel Zuniga, who operates a Bricks & Minifigs Lego resale franchise retailer in Lumita, Los Angeles County, continues to be coping with a break-in on June 18.
The Lego heist occurred round 5 am that Tuesday morning.
“I used to be asleep, and the ADT safety system gave me a name. Then my spouse obtained a name. I went straight to the cameras and noticed we had been being robbed,” Zuniga advised CNN.
He obtained to his retailer inside 10 minutes, however the burglars had been gone – with about $5,000 to $7,000 of Legos, he estimates.
Retail crime consultants advised CNN that stolen Lego units are straightforward to resell, they’re sometimes exhausting to hint and so they can fetch near the unique retail value if in mint situation and unused. Even used units in first rate form can go for 50% of the unique value.
Courtesy Miguel Zuniga
Robbers broke into Miguel Zuniga’s Bricks & Minifigs retailer in Lomita, California on June 18, and stole hundreds of {dollars} value of Lego merchandise.
In current months, robbers have stolen Legos in a number of states.
Earlier this month, police in California arrested two individuals in reference to a retail theft ring that allegedly stole hundreds of Lego toys from a number of Southern California retailers, based on CNN affiliate KABC.
LAPD detectives recovered greater than 2,800 containers of Lego toys with retail worth of $20 to over $1,000 per merchandise, the report quoted a police assertion as saying.
In Philadelphia, police logged a sequence of Lego set thefts in current months at retailers equivalent to Barnes & Noble and Goal, with stolen units valued from $250 to as much as $1,000 every. Goal advised CNN it didn’t have any info to share on Lego thefts at its shops. Barnes & Noble didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
And north of the border, in Richmond, British Columbia, police in March seized a haul of greater than 1,000 stolen toys. Among the many stolen items had been greater than $150,000 value of Lego units and different plush toys.
Though exhausting knowledge is troublesome to come back by, consultants mentioned Lego units are routinely among the many high 10 most stolen retail merchandise, together with branded denim, purses, designer sneakers, Olay skincare and Apple merchandise.
“Lego is exclusive. The model is all the time refreshing their choices, all the time on pattern with tie-ins to popular culture and particular version units,” mentioned Learn Hayes, a criminologist on the College of Florida and the director of the Loss Prevention Analysis Council, whose members embrace Walmart, Goal, Dwelling Depot and Hole.
Hayes advised CNN his crew works with a majority of shops that carry Lego merchandise in addition to Legoland theme parks. “Demand is all the time there.”
In consequence, there’s not solely a marketplace for stolen Lego merchandise but in addition a burgeoning counterfeit market, particularly on-line.
Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Instances/Getty Pictures
Lego items are displayed for purchasers at Bricks & Minifigs on Thursday, June 13, 2024 in Pasadena, CA. The shop has not been robbed, however the retailer homeowners are paying shut consideration to their safety equipment.
Casey Slaughter, a captain with the Wichita, Kansas, police division who heads its property crimes bureau, could be very conversant in Lego offenses.
“We see Lego toys as one of many extra incessantly stolen gadgets in our space,” Slaughter advised CNN. “Any retailer promoting the model is vulnerable to Lego theft, however we even have a few Lego-specific secondhand shops which have popped up as resellers. They’re being focused.”
It’s straightforward cash for Lego thieves, he mentioned. “They’re troublesome to trace the place they had been stolen from,” he mentioned.
Between January 8, 2024 and Could 7, 2024, Wichita Police investigated 19 Lego thefts, based on knowledge the police division offered to CNN. Thefts included units based mostly on Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Again to the Future movies, the info indicated.
When reached for remark, Lego directed CNN to on-line assets on its web site to coach shoppers methods to spot faux on-line Lego shops and pretend Lego merchandise.
In California, a number of Bricks & Minifigs shops have been robbed since April.
“That is in all probability our fourth or fifth hit that offers primarily with Legos. They occur shortly, 30 seconds to a minute,” Captain Calvin Mah with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division’s main crimes bureau mentioned in an interview with CNN, referring to the theft at Zuniga’s retailer.
“In watching the surveillance video, I may see them concentrating on particular Lego units. They knew precisely what they had been searching for. They wished the high-end and high-value units, the uncommon or collectible ones,” he mentioned.
Zuniga obtained emotional when talking concerning the theft to CNN.
Miguel Zuniga
Miguel Zuniga captured the shop break-in on June 18 on his safety digicam.
After cleansing his retailer the day of the housebreaking, Zuniga went residence to bathe.
“After I got here again I despatched a bat sign to the neighborhood to come back and help us in our time of want,” he mentioned. Prospects got here, some even donating their Lego units. He purchased Lego units that had been on sale on the native Goal to refill empty cabinets.
“At 9 am, the primary buyer that got here was a 71-year-old who has constructed a number of the costliest Lego units,” Zuniga recounted, his personal voice cracking as he sobbed. “He’s our native legend. He confirmed up in tears.”