Southern California police have arrested a man in Los Angeles who is suspected of stealing LEGO blocks from 70 Target stores across the United States and then replacing the pieces with dry pasta before returning them.
Jarrelle Augustine, a 28-year-old from Paramount, was arrested by the Irvine Police Department on charges of grand theft.
According to authorities, Augustine allegedly removed high-value mini-figures and parts from LEGO sets purchased at Target, sometimes replacing them with dry pasta, and then returning the boxes to the store.
Target company reported that at least 70 theft cases across the country were connected to the same suspect, with estimated losses of around $34,000.
After receiving a report, Irvine police investigators went to a Target store to look into the case. Video footage uploaded online showed police apprehending Augustine outside the store.
Target company did not respond to requests for comment on the arrest.
In another case in central California last month, Kern County police pulled over two vans and seized a container trailer marked as “Amazon Prime” delivery, which contained approximately $1 million worth of LEGO products.
Investigators confirmed that these two trailers were stolen while en route from Fort Worth, Texas, to Moreno Valley, California. Kern County authorities stated that three men from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Chino were arrested for suspected theft.
Last October, in Santa Rosa, California, detectives also arrested a suspect involved in organized retail theft, who was accused of stealing expensive LEGO sets from Target and Walmart stores.
Robert Lopez, 39, was suspected of directing others to commit thefts, buying stolen goods at low prices, and then reselling complete LEGO sets or individual figures at high prices. Police discovered tens of thousands of LEGO parts and unopened sets during a search of Lopez’s residence.
On October 31 last year in Watauga, Texas, 28-year-old Winston Love was arrested on charges of grand theft. Love was believed to be part of an organized retail theft ring operating in Texas and Oklahoma, committing 23 thefts at Target stores across multiple Texas cities, with the stolen LEGO goods exceeding $37,000 in value.