Police in Oregon say they've recovered at least $200,000 in stolen Lego pieces—after thieves lifted them from local retailers and sold them for "a fraction" of their price tag to another store owner who "knowingly" scooped them up despite being aware of their origins, reports NBC News. Per a Tuesday statement on Facebook, Springfield police say the alleged thieves swiped "new, unopened sets" of the toy from nearby Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and Fred Meyer stores, "then immediately went to the Brick Builders store" in Eugene "to exchange the stolen items for cash."
"When interviewed, some suspects advised that Brick Builders' staff knew the sets had recently been stolen," the statement notes, adding that police found many of the suspects used the money they made to buy drugs. On July 3, cops carried out a search warrant on Brick Builders, where they say they recovered more than 4,150 sets of Lego bricks, worth more than $200,000.
Police say some of the individual sets recovered sold for more than $700, per CBS News. The owner of Brick Builders has been identified as 47-year-old Ammon Henrikson, charged with organized retail theft and theft by receiving. Police also arrested employee Albert Nash, 57. "SPD's Crime Reduction Unit, with the support of our retail partners, works diligently to hold accountable those who make the choice to engage in or support retail theft," police said in their statement. (More Lego stories.)
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