Containers of Tide detergent are flying off the shelves in stores across the country. It's one of the most popular laundry detergents on the market. Now, people are out to steal it.
The orange bottle is becoming liquid gold to criminals.
One suspect in a Maryland supermarket theft recently loaded his cart with 15 to 20 bottles of Tide and took off out of the store to an awaiting get away car. Forty minutes later his accomplice is seen on security tape selling the load to a nail salon. It happened again in Minnesota, where a man pleaded guilty to charges that he stole as much as $6,000 worth of the detergent and other items during several visits to Wal-Mart. Police in Prince George's County in Maryland say they arrested 18 people in one ring for stealing detergent.
Why Tide? It's popular and can be pricey. It can run between $8 and $20 per bottle. A full cart can be worth hundreds of dollars.
And it's not just soap they're stealing. In California, grocery chains like Ralphs are aware of organized retail crime. "These thieves target many different products like Tide, Red Bull, or shampoo," said Kendra M. Doyel with Ralphs Grocery Company. "We continue to take measures to fight these crimes so we have the products our customers need in stock."
In some cases, thieves are trading it directly for drugs. Some are selling it to small mom and pop stores who will then sell it themselves or ship it overseas for black market sales.
Police and store officials say the thieves are so organized they act almost like Nascar pit-crews. Staging unattended carts in the aisles and having lookouts all around, they move through the aisles quickly, grab the tide, pile it in their carts or in their jackets and walk out the door before anyone notices.
With this rising crime wave, even national retailers like CVS are considering special security measures to keep Tide tied down. They're placing security devices on Tide that trigger alarms.
Information courtesy of NBC News and CNN.
