The California Highway Patrol announced the seizure of more than $1 million worth of stolen goods during a nine-day law enforcement blitz targeting organized retail theft.

From Aug. 1 to 9, the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force saturated communities and led coordinated enforcement operations at businesses, shopping centers and retail stores across the state, according to a CHP news release issued Tuesday.

More than 100 law enforcement agencies joined the CHP’s statewide effort as part of the National Organized Retail Crime Blitz, during which officers proactively identified and arrested suspects linked to organized retail theft.

Numerous stolen sneakers recovered during coordinated enforcement efforts in San Diego. (California Highway Patrol)
Officers arrest a retail theft suspect during a series of proactive blitz operations in Roseville, Lodi and Stockton. (California Highway Patrol)

As a result of the operation, 97 suspects were arrested, including eight on felony charges, and more than 8,500 stolen items were recovered. The recovered merchandise was valued at approximately $1.05 million.

“The impacts of retail theft on businesses and communities are long-lasting,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in a statement. “The CHP will continue to dedicate resources to catching perpetrators and holding accountable those who take from businesses and victimize communities.”

Since the Organized Retail Crime Task Force was launched in 2019, the CHP has participated in more than 4,700 investigations, leading to more than 5,300 arrests and the recovery of more than 1.6 million stolen items valued at more than $76.6 million, officials said.

Additional information about the program is available through the CHP’s Organized Retail Theft Program website.