Lego sets: The unexpected gold mine for thieves across America

Associated with children and big kids, Lego sets have become a "gold mine" for thieves. In the United States, they are among the most frequently stolen items.

The prices of Lego bricks can be very high. Some sets can cost from over $100 to even $1,000 or more. It is these most expensive sets that often fall victim to theft, both by individual thieves in stores and larger organized retail crime groups, reports CNN.

Stolen Lego sets can be easily sold on the online market, and it is hard to prove that they are stolen. Slightly damaged and scratched bricks are often sold for near retail prices. More damaged sets are offered at half price, which still makes them a profitable haul for thieves.

The American station reports that there have been Lego thefts in recent weeks in several states. In Philadelphia, police reported a series of recent months of Lego set thefts from retail chains like Barnes & Noble and Target. The value of stolen sets ranged from $250 to $1,000 each.

Meanwhile, in California, an organized gang was discovered, and police arrested two people connected to the group, who stole thousands of Lego toys from several stores in Southern California.

In Los Angeles, the police managed to arrest two people from a gang specializing in Lego theft. Officers found more than 2,800 boxes of bricks valued from $20 to over $1,000 each.

Colorful plastic bricks are a gold mine for criminals, evaluates the station.

Experts interviewed by CNN point out that Lego is in the top ten most frequently stolen goods in retail stores. It is among the top alongside Apple products, handbags, branded jeans, and designer shoes.

In an interview with the station, Casey Slaughter, a police captain from Wichita, Kansas, said that Lego toys are some of the most frequently stolen items in our region. Every retailer of this brand is at risk of theft, but we have a few used brick stores that have also become targets.