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Mexican cartels are now not only behind human trafficking rings, but organized retail theft as well.

The Washington Examiner reports that mass theft operations have been swiping items from luxury brands, big-box stores, and small businesses. These items are then sold online. The DHS claims the operation is a $70 billion a year enterprise that has infiltrated every state.

In contrast to shoplifting, these organized crimes are highly sophisticated operations involving professional money launderers, much like the cartel’s fentanyl operations.

Meanwhile, organized retail crime has only been growing since the pandemic. The National Retail Federation has reported a roughly 27% increase in crime between 2020 and 2021.