EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A woman was recently arrested after a Las Cruces business was discovered to be running an organized retail crime operation that stole more than $8,000 in merchandise, according to the Las Cruces Police Department.
The woman was charged under the state’s Organized Retail Crime Act after investigators executed search warrants where merchandise that was stolen had been sold or stored as part of an organized retail crime operation run through a local business, police said.
The woman has not been identified and the business involved will also not be identified as the investigation is ongoing, police said.
The recovered stolen property included clothing, cleaning supplies, health and beauty supplies, hardware, electronics, general household goods and building supplies.
Police say the investigation began in May with the Police Department’s Community Outreach and Street Crimes units and agents with Homeland Security investigators and loss prevention investigators from retail stores.
“Organized retail crime, also known as “shoplifting for profit,” occurs when multiple people work together to steal, receive and/or sell merchandise for financial gain. The crime is a second degree felony under New Mexico law,” police said.
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