Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of 16 people accused of systematically stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds of donated clothes at charity bins across Suffolk County. 

Surveillance video shows some of the suspects climbing into the bins through the donation slot in order to steal the donated clothes within. The crews targeted bins placed by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, among others, authorities said. The charity relies on the donated clothes to raise money for its operations. 

"You thought you've seen everything. Could you believe people would steal from a clothing bin and they'd figured out a way to make money?" Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said. 

Police say there have been more than 70 incidents and that the thieves stole more than 500,000 pounds of donated clothing intended for the poor and homeless from the charity bins. Some 25,000 pounds of the clothing have been recovered, along with 14 vans allegedly used to carry the stolen items. 

The case got started when representatives of St. Vincent de Paul contacted police after noticing "a substantial and troubling reduction in the amount of clothing they picked up from bins here on Long Island," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. 

"Obviously and in essence, in stealing from St. Vincent de Paul, these individuals stole from our most needy individuals of our society," Tierney said. 

"We didn't know who was doing it. They uncovered all of this and every time they filled us in, we were just shaking our head," said Tom Abbate, CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. 

The thefts were carried out by two different crews, according to police, including one allegedly headed up by 67-year-old Alfredo Perez of Copiague, and the other allegedly by 62-year-old Manuel Cabrera of Lindenhurst. 

Tierney called it a "massive burglary and theft operation."

Of the 16 people charged, including juveniles, eight of the defendants are allegedly in the country illegally. They've all pleaded not guilty. 

"By these thieves targeting donation bins, they stole from vulnerable residents and from the organizations that work tirelessly to support them," Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. said. 

"Donation bins are placed in our communities as a gesture of goodwill, intended to help those in need," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said. "Unfortunately, these criminals exploited that generosity, stealing donations and profiting at the expense of others."

The crews allegedly drove around Suffolk County targeting the donation bins. When they found one, one of the crew would climb into the bin through the donation port and pass clothes back through the slot to an accomplice waiting outside. They'd then load the stolen clothing into a van. 

The bins were owned and operated by multiple organizations, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. 

Police say some 280,000 pounds of stolen clothing were sold to an exporter for more than $90,000. 

Perez and Cabrera face grand larceny, burglary and conspiracy charges. Their attorneys did not respond to our request for comment. 

St. Vincent de Paul says it is looking into ways of making its donation boxes theft-proof. 

Since the arrests, donations are up 50%, officials said.