(WWJ) - Three woman from a crime ring that targets retailers nationwide allegedly hit more than two dozen Walgreen's stores from Metro Detroit to West Michigan, taking nearly $100,000 worth of items, authorities said.
According to WOOD TV, a Michigan State Police detective confirmed the details, stating the crime ring comprises of roughly 300 Romanian nationals. The women are believed to have started their crime spree in Oakland and Wayne counties in October of 2023 before moving west along the I-94 and I-96 corridors and hitting Walgreen's locations in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties.
They are then accused of striking again in Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties
Court documents obtained by WOOD TV allege the trio also stole from a store in Goshen, Indiana.
As documented in court records, surveillance photos collected by MSP show the suspects at some of the stores which reported thefts. The women were captured on camera wearing long skirts with "kangaroo pouch" pockets. They allegedly stuffed their pockets full of beauty and skin care products before walking out to their vehicles.
The stolen hauls were estimated to be worth $3,500 at a time. In one such instance, the women allegedly made it out of a store with $8,000 worth of products.
Walgreen's reported their losses at around $99,000, court records claim.
Undercover troopers working on the case wrote that they are cooperating with investigators that are looking into other cases across the U.S.
In 2023, Romanian nationals have been charged with a slew of crimes -- from money laundering to carjacking -- spanning the West Coast into the Midwest.