An alleged shoplifting gang in the UK has been busted up by arrests, thanks to DNA evidence in some of the stolen items. Per Surrey Live, 100-plus police officers raided eight different shops in the London area suspected of buying up food and booze stolen from major supermarkets and reselling it for lower prices, netting 15 arrests in the process. The somewhat unusual part of the April 9 blitz in the Merton and Wandsworth districts was how nearly $200,000 of goods was recovered: via 5,000 items that had been previously marked with synthetic DNA.
The Telegraph notes that cops would tag items that were typically stolen, like chocolate and alcohol, with SelectaDNA, a crime-fighting technology that embeds a code into those items that allow them to be traced. A release from Metropolitan Police notes that authorities have been working in tandem with local business owners for months "to crack down on the most prolific shoplifters." "Shoplifting pushes up prices for customers and often results in retail workers being verbally and physically abused," says Sgt. James Burke. "It also funds the drug trade and contributes to anti-social behavior and violence."
He adds that police have been trying out "new tactics to drive down shoplifting in the area and have delivered impressive results." Ten men and three women between the ages of 23 and 64, most believed to be shopkeepers, were arrested in the April 9 raid and arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. Two other men, both 48, were arrested on Thursday in a separate incident and face similar charges. One of the suspects was also arrested for having a machete, while another was arrested for having a stun gun. (More shoplifting stories.)
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