We all know laundry detergent is an important household cleaning product. However, it may be more valuable than anticipated. Police have been reporting that mass amounts of Tide are being stolen across the entire United States. Reports and video surveillance show many individuals filling their carts up with detergent and walking out without paying for them. A man in Mission Viejo, CA loaded up his cart with nine bottles of Tide and walked out without paying. And the thefts continue, as several Massachusetts towns are victims to thieves who take off with as much Tide as they can. The trend has hit Minnesota as well when a man was taken into custody on February 8, for stealing thousands of dollars worth of detergent. Patrick Paul Costanzo, 53, of St. Paul was spotted on a surveillance video pushing carts full of detergent out of a Walmart without paying. The total thefts documented on surveillance were estimated at $6,000. According to loss prevention, inventory reports showed a loss of $25,000 in missing detergent over the past 15 months. Costanzo was stealing detergent and other items four out of five days during a week; a total of 28 days between January 1 and February 7. With laundry detergent priced at $10 to $20 a bottle, investigators suspect the “liquid gold” is being stolen because of its high retail price, and thieves may be using Tide as a drug currency. Reports of attempted drug busts hint the product is being sold on the streets for $5 to $10, as thief’s use the money earned to buy drugs. With no serial numbers on detergents, it’s almost impossible to track, making it quite difficult to crack the case and find the individuals responsible. As for Costanzo; he wasn’t so lucky in getting away with the crime. A judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail and banned him from Walmart.
Tag(s): News