Seattle Police detectives arrested a man at a North Beacon Hill residence last Thursday following a lengthy Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led organized retail theft investigation.
A detective with SPD’s Investigative Support Unit, in collaboration with HSI, developed probable cause to arrest a suspect who had been knowingly purchasing stolen items, then selling the merchandise from a Rainier Valley business.
SPD detectives, SPD Community Response Group officers, along with agents from HSI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, served search warrants Thursday morning at two locations: a residence in the 1500 block of 17th Avenue South, and a business in the 7300 block of Rainier Avenue South.
Approximately 3,000 items of suspected stolen retail merchandise – including over-the-counter drugs, health and beauty products, cleaning products, alcohol, small electronics, and clothing – were recovered.
The suspect, a 55-year-old man, was taken into custody and booked into the King County Jail for trafficking in stolen property.
