Congress Is Warned About Organized Shoplifters

Washington, D.C., ATarget Corp. executive urged Congress to make organized shoplifting a federal felony violation. Chris Nelson, who serves as Target’s director of asset protection, testified before the House Judiciary Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee. He represented the Coalition Against Organized Retail Theft, chaired by the Food Marketing Institute.

Organized shoplifters steal $30 billion in products a year, according to statistics from the FBI.

Nelson said that the practice threatens public health because thieves repackage expired medicine or resell medicine that has been stored in less than ideal conditions. Typically, these practices are prosecuted under state shoplifting laws that treat them as misdemeanors.