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Central Florida crackdown on retail theft recovers hundreds of thousands in stolen goods

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Published  June 17, 2025 6:34pm EDT
Florida
FOX 35 Orlando
Massive Florida retail theft ring busted

Massive Florida retail theft ring busted

A statewide initiative to combat organized retail theft sent dozens of people to jail in Central Florida. FOX 35's Marie Edinger has more information on the massive bust.

The Brief

    • A statewide initiative to combat organized retail theft sent dozens of people to jail in Central Florida.
    • FDLE says they arrested 44 people in total, including 3 people who were here illegally.
    • FDLE also says they recovered more than $207,000 in stolen goods.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A statewide initiative to combat organized retail theft sent dozens of people to jail in Central Florida.

Crime Blitz

What we know:

The Orlando Police Department’s I-Drive Bike Unit made six arrests and recovered $4,000 of stolen merchandise as part of this operation.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office made three arrests.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office says they caught 8 people.

What they're saying:

"There was one instance where a U-Haul truck had been used all the way from North Carolina," said Chris Sims with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. It was the largest stolen goods seizure I've ever seen."

Crime Tech

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with the University of Florida’s Loss Prevention Research Council – or LRPC – as part of this operation.

That’s a crime lab FOX 35’s Marie Edinger got to tour a couple years ago as part of FOX 35’s investigation into "The Science of Stealing."

"All of this technology kind of builds in and helps us identify those subjects that we either have already known to commit retail theft in large scales that we haven't caught yet, or to potentially identify new folks who are involved in organized retail theft," Sims explained.

By the numbers:

The LPRC worked with the National Retail Federation on a study looking into violence associated with retail theft.

They found 73% of retailers said thieves had become more aggressive over the past year… and 76% said organized retail crime is a bigger problem now than a year ago.

Since 2019, the dollar loss is up 90% for retailers who fall victim to shoplifters.

What's next:

There’s a bill working its way up called the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025, which would create a Coordination Center so local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as groups in the private sector, could share information that might help with investigations.

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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Orlando Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the University of Florida’s Loss Prevention Research Council.

FloridaCrime and Public Safety