World's Biggest Shoplifters? Pair Named in $5M Safeway Thefts

Feb. 28, 2011 — -- If the allegations are correct, they may well be among the world's most prolific shoplifters. Portland, Ore., police said they have arrested a pair of thieves for allegedly shoplifting some $5 million of merchandise from Safeway stores.

Safeway worked with authorities to arrest Richard Remington, 52, and Angela Evans, 32, on Feb. 15. The grocery chain claims Remington pulled off 103 thefts that were caught on tape at various Safeway stores while Evans was seen 75 times stealing merchandise.

So determined was Safeway to stop the thefts, they authorized a loss prevention officer to place a tracking device on the couple's van, according to The Oregonian.

Remington and Evans, who had been dating for about six months, allegedly stole about $400,000 of merchandise a year from Safeway over the span of several years, according to an affidavit signed by Charles Mickly, deputy district attorney for Multnomah County in Oregon. The district attorney's office charged the two with 24 counts of theft. They have pleaded not guilty. It wasn't clear if they had a lawyer.

Trent Drucker, a loss prevention officer at Safeway, located Remington's van and placed a tracking device on it. He was then able to review video of the shoplifting and determine that they allegedly drove to pawn shops to sell stolen DVDs.

Not all retailers are able to invest months in capturing individual shoplifters, though this case suggests outsized losses for the supermarket chain.

Shoplifters stole $13.7 billion in merchandise in the U.S. from June 2009 to October 2010 according to the Centre for Retail Research in England. Surveying retailers worldwide, shoplifters cost retailers $107.3 billion in that period. The survey included 1,103 of the largest retailers in 42 countries, with $873.8 billion in combined sales.

Joshua Bamfield, who has conducted the "Global Retail Theft Barometer" for the past decade, said global shoplifting has spiked in recent years because of economic downturns across the globe.

The Oregon case may be one of the largest for a single pair of thieves, but organized rings have racked up some audacious amounts, according to law enforcement officials. Here are some of the world's biggest shoplifters:

$100 Million Shoplifting Ring, Florida

In 2008, Florida police arrested 18 people involved in a shoplifting scheme in 11 counties. Police say the crime ring ran for over five years. The Lakeland Ledger reported that the shoplifters allegedly stole between $60 million and $100 million of over-the-counter health and beauty products from hundreds of convenience and grocery stores. Ringleaders then sold the products at warehouses, flea markets and websites, including eBay.