Hesperia, CA: Hesperia man arrested for stealing 7,500 pounds of candy
The payoff wasn't so sweet for a Hesperia man arrested for stealing more than 7,500 pounds of candy from a delivery truck, sheriff's officials said. Jesus Ibarra, 35, was arrested Thursday morning after deputies discovered the missing sweets in his garage. Excel Corporation, the west coast distributor for Mars Candy Company, contracted a private trucking company to deliver candy that had not passed inspection to San Bernardino for destruction. The truck arrived at its destination missing approximately 7,500 pounds of candy. Investigators found online advertisements on High Desert Deals, a popular Facebook site, and Craigslist, of a man selling bulk candy from his home, sheriff's officials said. A search warrant was issued for Ibarra's home. Investigators said the entire garage had been converted into a candy store with approximately 30 racks of candy in boxes, which were labeled with prices. Loss prevention officers from Excel were able to positively identify the candy in Ibarra's home by the serial numbers on the side of the boxes, sheriff's officials said. sbsun.com

Beaverton, OR: On January 6, 2016, Beaverton patrol officers alerted Beaverton Detectives regarding a possible credit card crew from Miami, Florida staying in Beaverton
Beaverton Detectives along with Tigard Police Detectives conducted surveillance on four subjects for two days. On January 7, 2016 Beaverton Detectives witnessed some of the subjects using multiple credit cards for gift card purchases at several Walmart stores throughout the Metro Area. Beaverton and Tigard Detectives were able to confirm the credit cards used for the gift card purchases were in fact counterfeit and found that most of the victims lived in the Washington County area. Beaverton Detectives also found out that some of the victims had used their credit cards at the same local gas station. Detectives checked the gas station pumps and didn't locate any skimming devices. Late in the evening of January 7, 2016 Beaverton Detectives arrested Marie Armstrong and Liorge Hernandez-Cueto when they returned to the hotel they were staying. Leorge Despaigne-Moreno was in the hotel room and was also arrested. Leorge Despaigne-Moreno has been arrested for these types of crimes on two previous occasions since October 2014 in Kansas and Colorado. Leorge Despaigne-Moreno was currently out on bond before being arrested again by Beaverton Police. A fourth person was detained and eventually released. A search warrant was obtained for the hotel room and vehicle, Detectives seized over 240 counterfeit re-encoded prepaid credit cards/gift cards, a credit card encoder, gas pump keys, and 22 gas pump skimming devices. During the investigation detectives found that the subjects drove from Miami, FL on January 2, 2016 and arrived in Beaverton on January 6, 2016. 1190kex.com

Toledo, OH: 3 women shoplift $1,600 in merchandise from PINK
They concealed $1,600 worth of merchandise, then fled the store. That's how the Toledo Police Crime Log describes a shoplifting inside the Franklin Park Mall. It happened at PINK, which is a brand of Victoria's Secret that has its own location. According to the police report, three women were spotted "concealing merchandise," then leaving the store. The theft happened during store hours this past Thursday. It amounted to a roughly $1,600 loss in goods. 13abc.com

Alcoa, TN: Employee charged with stealing $1,500 of baby formula,
selling on street
Walcutt was arrested Thursday after a supervisor at his workplace, DRS Outlet, 3490 Northbend Circle, Alcoa, reported that Walcutt had come forward and admitted to stealing about 300 cans of baby formula during the last 10 months. thedailytimes.com

Rogersville, TN: Walmart employee caught stealing video games
A Rogersville Walmart employee allegedly admitted to stealing video games from his department and returning them to exchange for gift cards after a theft was captured on store video surveillance last week. The total value of the games was $1,392 and included 22 for the XBox 1, two for Playstation 4, and one unknown game. timesnewsnet.com

Detroit area Best Buy reports Play Station theft
On Dec. 21, officers were sent to the Best Buy store at 2169 Telegraph for a retail fraud complaint. An employee saw a man and woman run out of the store with a total of four PlayStation 4 gaming systems valued at over $1400. theoaklandpress.com

Walton Co, GA: Detergent shoplifters busted with a Car Load of merchandise from Dollar General
Law enforcement in Georgia say two people were arrested after finding loads of stolen laundry detergent in their vehicle. According to a post made by the Walton County, Georgia Sheriff's Office, a car was pulled over and found to contain dozens of bottles of laundry soap, body wash, and other household goods. Officials said much of the merchandise came from a Dollar General store on the west side of the county, along with multiple stores in DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties. Photos taken by investigators show dozens of bottles of detergent inside the car's trunk. More of the stolen goods are shown lined up across the car's hood, roof and trunk. wtvm.com

Hamilton, ON, CN: Duo charged with credit card fraud in $75K gift card scam
Hamilton Police say they have made two arrests so far in connection with a four-month fraud where fake credit cards were used to buy more than $75,000 in gift cards and electronics at Walmart and other stores. Walmart's corporate security worked with the OPP and Hamilton, Brantford and Peel police services to investigate the incidents stretching from August to November 2015, Hamilton Police said Monday. Hamilton Police have arrested two people: A 30-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, both from Glanbrook, in connection with the investigation, and charged them with fraud over $5,000 and possession and forgery of credit cards and money laundering. cbc.ca

UK: Police targeting Coventry gangs and crime families make 40 arrests
Police have pledged to start the new year by continuing a blitz on gangs and crime families in Coventry. West Midlands Police say at least 40 gang suspects have been arrested as part of Operation Blue Steel which was launched last year. Last month saw shop robbery gang Anthony Bell, Roy Lewis and Leyton Clare jailed for a total of 24 years for a string of Coventry raids − and drug dealer Tavaseen Iqbal, who hid a loaded shotgun in the garden of his Foleshill home, was also imprisoned for six years. Members of two more retail crime gangs can expect lengthy spells behind bars when they go to court later this month while others are on remand awaiting trial. coventrytelegraph.net