Oregon police recover $200,000+ of LEGO from suspected thieves
A three-month investigation has culminated in the arrest of two suspected LEGO thieves and the recovery of $200,000 worth of LEGO sets in Springfield, Oregon.
Two men have been arrested by Springfield Police Department (SPD) after serving a search warrant at the Brick Builders shop in Eugene, Oregon. This came after a three-month investigation that gathered evidence that 47-year-old store owner Ammon Henrikson was buying new, unopened LEGO sets that he knew were stolen from other local retail stores.
Together with fellow suspect 57-year-old Albert Nash, the pair are thought to have stolen more than $200,000 worth of LEGO sets, selling them on the shop for a fraction of the RRP. Springfield Police Department stated in a Facebook post that members of the Brick Builders staff knew that the sets were stolen, with many suspects interviewed using the money gained from the thefts to buy drugs.
Springfield Police Department worked with loss prevention investigators from Target, Fred Meyer, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart to confirm that the LEGO sets were indeed stolen from their stores. When searching the premises under a warrant, the police found 4,153 LEGO sets, coming to a value of over $200,000.
“We all feel the impact of organized retail theft through the increasing cost of items we buy for our families,” said Chief Andrew Shearer in a statement. “Recognizing this, 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. SPD is proud of the work of our officers, and we are committed to the pursuit of those behind these crimes in our community.”
This isn’t the first time that a similar crime has taken place in Oregon, with a man getting arrested for retail theft of LEGO sets back in 2021. More recently, over 2,800 LEGO sets were also recovered last month in LA and four people getting arrested back in April 2024 for stealing $300,000 worth of sets.
Featured image: Springfield Police Department
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- I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.
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