A South Seattle business owner was arrested on Friday for knowingly buying and reselling stolen items inside his store.
On 12-13-2013, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the South Precinct (ACT) Anti- Crime Team served an arrest/search warrant on a store in the 7600 block of Rainier Avenue South. The search warrant followed a 6-month long undercover investigation by South ACT concerning the purchase and resell of stolen items from area Safeway and QFC stores.
During the 6-month long investigation, officers worked undercover posing as boosters; selling various items to the 44-year-old man and his wife.
Information gathered during the course of this investigation, provided investigators with probably cause to believe that the store owner and his wife were knowingly buying stolen items for pennies on the dollar and then using those stolen items to stock the shelves of their business. The items were then resold to customers at retail price.
Among the items seized during the service of the warrants were liquid detergent, razors, baby formula, deodorant, energy drinks, body spray, allergy medicine, and cigarettes, among other items.
The 44-year-old suspect was arrested and booked into King County Jail for Trafficking in Stolen Property, Organized Retail Theft, Possession of Stolen Property and Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Crimes.
The investigation continues.