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Los Angeles citizens can rest easy knowing that a criminal theft ring is no longer stalking the city\u2019s retail stores to feed a Lego black market. That\u2019s because the California Highway Patrol (CHP) announced this week<\/a> that it had arrested four people<\/a> it accused of swiping what police estimated was \u201capproximately $300,000\u201d worth of Lego sets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The four had allegedly burgled stores like Target, Home Depot, and Lowe\u2019s of their Lego stock and sold them to black-market dealers who would then vend the stolen bricks at \u201cseemingly legitimate businesses, swap meets, or online.\u201d Police say they were booked on \u201ccharges related to Organized Retail Theft, Grand Theft, and Conspiracy to commit a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The CHP posted images of the bust on Instagram. Stolen sets included the $85 921-piece Millennium Falcon (as opposed to the 7,000-plus piece, $800 behemoth from 2017<\/a>), the $500 6,167-piece Lord of the Rings<\/em> Rivendell castle, and a $170 1,458-piece Porsche 911 set. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Like any other collectible, Lego sets are prime targets. In 2021, French police announced they were investigating an international Lego crime ring<\/a>. That same year, authorities in Seattle arrested a shop owner accused of selling stolen Lego sets following a clumsily named \u201cOperation: MandalOrganized Retail Theft\u201d investigation, as NBC News<\/em> reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n