6 gang members arrested after SWAT standoff in Albuquerque; ties to Armed Robberies and Shoplifting  APD said it arrested six gang members at a house on Grover Street. Police tracked the known gang members to the house Wednesday, but no one would come out. Officers brought in SWAT and crisis negotiators because a wanted felon was in the house. The arrests were made shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday. The six face various charges like armed robbery, identity theft, shoplifting and probation violations. koat.com


Fencing Ring Tied To Thousands Of Dollars Of Stolen Merchandise Busted  Police have busted a major fencing ring that has been tied to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise, according to a senior law enforcement source. The source told CBS4's Jim DeFede that this was "major operation" that had been underway for several months. The source said the head of the fencing ring had been arrested and more arrests are expected in this ongoing operation. Miami-Dade Police spokesman Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said this was a joint operation involving Miami-Dade and Coral Gables Police. cbslocal.com

Huntsville, TX Police arrest 2 connected to Organized Theft Ring hitting Academy, Target, and Marshalls  Authorities arrested two Huntsville men who stole a variety of items from several stores in a local shopping center earlier this week. Confun Shann Mitchell, 35, and Joshua Cole Dimmick, 28, were taken into custody on charges of organized retail theft about 10:45 a.m. Monday. Huntsville police believe a third suspect was involved but he was able to elude capture. Officers were dispatched to Ravenwood Shopping Center after an employee at Target reported a theft in progress. When officers arrived, two of the suspects had left Target and were located in Dollar Tree. Police say Dimmick and Mitchell tried to leave the store through the emergency exit which set off an alarm. The two suspects were taken into custody and police were able to recover items that were stolen from Academy, Target and Marshalls worth close to $1,000. itemonline.com


Michael Kors merchandise targeted at Marshall's and TJ Maxx in Linden, NJ  Police are looking for a group of thieves who allegedly have stolen several thousands dollars in merchandise, mostly designer Michael Kors coats and handbags, from TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores in the area. Police have released video surveillance images of group members who allegedly stole designer handbags and coats around 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 from the TJ Maxx store on Routes 1 and 9 at the Linden Plaza shopping center. According to police, the group members are believed to be part of a gang targeting TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores in the area. mycentraljersey.com

Kohl's Coat thieves in Hatfield, Co, PA lead Police on 2 city chase
Two repeat offender retail thieves from North Philadelphia are behind bars in Montgomery County jail - each charged with multiple felonies - after they allegedly stole a half-dozen winter coats, valued at nearly $500 from a Hatfield Township Kokl's and one led responding police officers from two jurisdictions on a chase. Police said a check of both men's criminal histories revealed that Shelton has two previous convictions for retail theft, and Davis has 11 priors for retail theft, which is why the charges were graded as felonies rather than misdemeanors. thereporteronline.com

UK: Estee Lauder employee stealing 50 items a day; 'stealing to order'
Cocaine addict Radoslaw Ozgowicz has been jailed after he stole hundreds of cosmetics from a laboratory and sold them to a couple who made thousands on eBay. Portsmouth Crown Court heard the 36-year-old would take up to 50 items a day while working for Estee Lauder. It comes as couple Dariusz Suski, 32, and Joanna Lazarska, 33, were jailed after their home was raided and police found thousands of Estee Lauder and Clarins items. Sentencing Ozgowicz, of Copnor Road, she said: 'You were stealing products during your breaks and hiding them. 'You, at the time, initially sold some of those items through eBay but very quickly you were selling directly to Suski and Lazarska. Judge Munro added he received at least $100,000 from Suski and Lazarska in Southsea, who had 11,000 items at their home. She added: 'You were clearly a supplier of a significant quantity of those products. Although you dispute this, you were in effect stealing to order.' portsmouth.co.uk

Fencing Operation: Passaic Co, NJ Sheriff's Office seizes Counterfeit merchandise; selling $400k to $500k in stolen merchandise  A Clifton man was arrested on charges of selling an estimated $400,000 worth of stolen and counterfeit clothing, along with accessories, per year out of his Paterson shop, where detectives seized more than $60,000 in goods. Andres Grullon, 56, faces charges of counterfeiting, fencing and receiving stolen property. Victoria's Secret and other major clothing brands notified the sheriff's office in December that Grullon was suspected of fencing merchandise at his Main Street store, Kaylee G. Fashion. Victoria's Secret products are sold exclusively at the brand's retail stores, however, authorities recovered more than $35,000 worth of pants and undergarments from Grullon's shop, the sheriff said. In addition to the stolen clothing, Berdnik said investigators also found more than $30,000 in phony merchandise using brands including Michael Kors, Chanel, Gucci, Lacoste, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. The investigation was a joint effort with sheriff's detectives, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and security officials from the various brands, Berdnik added. Thank you to Joe Hadju, with Lbrands for submitting this article! nj.com