COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities have filed criminal charges against 46 people following a statewide operation targeting organized retail theft, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced.
The operation was conducted last week as part of a nationwide Organized Retail Crime Blitz Week. Three regional task forces operating under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission led the investigations.
Authorities said the operation focused on theft groups accused of stealing merchandise from stores and reselling it through illicit networks and online marketplaces.
The three Ohio task forces reported recovering more than $10,000 in merchandise during the operation.
In northwest Ohio, 12 people face theft and trespassing charges, and authorities recovered $976 in merchandise, according to the attorney general’s office.
A southwest Ohio task force led by the Kettering Police Department reported charges against 12 people. The charges include theft, trespassing, resisting arrest, falsification, obstructing official business and/or public indecency. Authorities recovered $2,150 in merchandise.
In central Ohio, 22 people face theft and trespassing charges. The task force there reported recovering $7,055 in merchandise.
Authorities said investigators also collected evidence and intelligence that will be used in ongoing investigations involving theft groups and alleged fencing operations in Ohio.
The task forces were created following the enactment of the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement, or FORCE, Act in 2025. The law established increased criminal penalties for organized retail theft and authorized law enforcement partnerships to investigate such offenses statewide.
The operation involved law enforcement agencies from multiple Ohio communities, along with federal and prosecutorial agencies.
Officials said organized retail theft costs Ohio businesses an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion annually.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
