Paris, France - Ask a cop and he or she will tell you that theft is a top crime of choice among the world’s criminals. There are jewel thieves, auto thieves and, of course, bank robbers. And now, French police are focusing their attention on an international gang of, what England’s Guardian newspaper, calls Lego Looters, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens.
They recently arrested a woman and two men in the act of lifting Legos in a toy store near Paris and when questioned they revealed that they were part of a gang specializing in robbing special editions of the popular building block toys. Similar thefts have been reported throughout Europe and in the U.S. There’s big money to be made selling stolen Legos, says professional online auctioneer Van IJken. He explains that the company keeps changing out its offerings and so a special 2007 $150 Lego set can fetch as much as $3,000 today, if kept in its original condition.