A nine-month organized crime investigation has toppled a statewide multi-tiered shoplifting ring resulting in charges against 14 people including some alleged ringleaders.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called the criminal enterprise a "modern day mafia" during the arrest announcement at a news conference, Monday, at Miami-Dade Police headquarters in Doral.
"Many have already been arrested, involving nine judicial circuits, dozens of counties, 20 different retailers, $20-million in losses," she said.
Moody added the big box stores are not the only victims.
"We have criminals stealing not just from the businesses -- and I think that's where everybody gets it wrong -- they are actually stealing from law abiding citizens who are just trying to provide for their families," she said.
Stores pass along the cost of their losses to shoppers by raising prices to stay in business, otherwise the stores are forced to close permanently.
Target is closing nine stores in major cities because of the theft and the crime and safety concerns for employees and customers, Moody said.
Nearly 90% of store employees have been threatened during these thefts.
"A recent retail survey stated that 86% of organized retail crime subjects have already threatened an associate," said Stephanie Daniels, Miami-Dade Police interim-director. "They've also stated that 75% of these subjects physically assaulted an associate and 41(%) ...had a weapon to be used against an associate."
Miami-Dade Police Organized Crime Division Director Jorge Aguilar said nearly 90 serial shoplifters have been identified in this ring and he promised more arrests.
"Organized retail theft is a growing cancer in our society," he said.
According to the investigation, the professional thieves or "boosters" would spend all day stealing merchandise and then sell it to suspected fence Arland Cata.
Cata would scan the product's bar code to find out it's worth, use a computer to create his own bar code for the packaging, and send the merchandise to suspected fence Joshua Markell.
Markell would warehouse the stolen, repriced goods to sell online.
"We seized pallets [of stolen merchandise] that were waiting to go and be sold online," Moody said. "We've seized merchandise that was already with Amazon waiting to be sold that was stolen."
Some of the victimized retailers included Publix, Winn Dixie, Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Fresco Y Mas, Navarro, Home Depot, Lowes, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, Sam Ash, Best Buy, Harbor Freight, The Fiddle Shop, Guitar Center, Golf Galaxy, Macy’s, BJ's, Costco, and various small businesses.