Police find stolen Lego worth over $200,000

After months of investigation, police in Oregon have seized 4,153 stolen Lego sets valued at more than $200,000, officials said Tuesday.

Ammon Henrickson, the 47-year-old owner of a store called Brick Builders in Eugene, knowingly purchased new, unopened Lego sets that had been stolen from other stores, Springfield police said.

The suspects stole the sets and then took them directly to Brick Builders, where they received cash, police said. Brick Builders employees purchased the stolen sets “mostly at a fraction of their actual retail value.”

Investigators said they found that many of the Lego thieves used the cash to buy illegal drugs.

Some expensive sets cost a whopping $849.99 on the Lego website. Images of the Lego loot shared by police show a huge pile of the toys. Other images shared by officials show Lego officers arresting a Lego criminals and a Lego patrol car.

Authorities said they worked with anti-theft officers from Target, Fred Meyer, Barnes & Noble and Walmart to find the Legos.

“We all feel the impact of organized shoplifting through the rising prices of the items we purchase for our families. With this in mind, SPD’s Crime Reduction Unit, with the support of our retail partners, works tirelessly to hold those who knowingly participate in or facilitate shoplifting accountable,” Police Chief Andrew Shearer said in a Facebook post.

Henrickson was charged with organized shoplifting and receiving stolen goods. Police also arrested Albert Nash, 57, but did not release details of the charges. In January, a new law went into effect that provides tougher penalties for people convicted of shoplifting, CBS News affiliate KOIN reported.

In recent months, police have made several Lego-related arrests. A Californian task force seized about Worth $300,000 of stolen Lego sets in several raids. Last month, a 71-year-old man was arrested after police found almost 3,000 crates of stolen goodsGo sets at his home in California.