2 Arrested In Theft of $50K Worth Of Baby Formula

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two brothers have been arrested on suspicion of stealing more than $50,000 in baby formula from warehouses in Los Angeles, police said Tuesday.

Joe Lopez, 27, and Nick Lopez, 22, were arrested on June 30 in connection with the large-scale thefts of baby formula believed to be connected to organized retail crime, Los Angeles police said in a statement. The thefts from the warehouse totaled over $50,000 in a six-week period.

Investigators had looking into the thefts discovered a warehouse security guard, who had been contracted through a private company, had allowed a second suspect to enter the facility after business hours and removed large amounts of baby formula. At a motel in Los Angeles, the suspects – who were not identified – were found to have more than $9,000 in stolen baby formula.

The investigation led to a storage facility in Sylmar and a home in Valencia, where the Lopez brothers were identified and connected to the theft ring, police said. From the two locations, police say detectives seized about $11,000 in stolen product and $4,000 in cash.

Anyone with information about this crime or other Organized Retail crimes can contact detective Jeannette Santos at (818) 832-7511.