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Police bust $5 million multi-state, high-end theft ring
Two suspects have been charged in connection to a multi-state, high-end theft ring, according to Chicago-area officials.
LYONS, Ill. - Two suspects have been charged in connection to a multi-state, high-end theft ring, according to Chicago-area officials.
The individuals are accused of stealing $5 million worth of shoes, clothing jewelry and more across multiple states.
Lyons Mayor Chris Getty and Police Chief Thomas Herion provided an update on the investigation Thursday morning.
On Sept. 19, Lyons police responded to a storage yard on village property for a break in. When officers arrived they did not find any offenders. Just a few hours later, a group of individuals took a semi-trailer from the property full of $42,000 worth of toys.
Police believe the suspects canvas the trucks before deciding which merchandise to take.
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Lyons police bust $5M high-end theft ring
Suburban officials shared an update on their investigation into a multi-state theft ring that resulted in $5 million worth of stolen goods. Thousands of dollars of merchandise has been recovered after five people were arrested at a warehouse in Chicago. Two of the suspects have been charged so far.
The trailer was found in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood at 5420 West Roosevelt Road a short time later. Along with the toys, police recovered stolen goods from brands like Nike, Adidas, Apple, Supreme, UGG and Yeezy.
Nike told officials that this was one of its largest amount of stolen property.
Edwin Aguirre-Ramirez and Erik Bautista, both 24 years old and from the Chicago area, were charged with burglary. Bautista was also charged with possession of stolen goods. Three other individuals were arrested, but later let go.
The theft ring operated under the name of Ozzies Shoes. The suspects set up a showroom of stolen goods at the Lawndale warehouse for other merchandisers to buy.
Herion says they found pairs of Jordan shoes worth $2,000 each, several Supreme t-shirts at $55 a piece and even whole shipments of shoes intended for university basketball teams.
Lyons police arrested the suspects with the assistance of several other agencies. Officials say further charges are pending.
There is surveillance video showing several suspects unloading merchandise from the stolen trailers.
The investigation remains ongoing and active.