A man has been arrested and charged in connection with the largest individual seizure of stolen goods uncovered during the Operation Measure retail theft initiative.
On Saturday 30 August, officers from Operation Measure, Western District CIB and Eastern Adelaide and Western Adelaide conducted a search at a Royal Park address.
The search resulted in the discovery of around 2,500 individual items – including 1,700 unopened boxes of Lego – worth $250,000.
Operation Measure officers believe the goods were stolen from department stores across the metropolitan area and were likely being sold on online sites. The haul was so large that Water Operations officers were utilised to remove three truck loads of goods from the premises.
A 41-year-old man was arrested and has been charged with theft and unlawful possession. He will appear in Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on 30 September 2025.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Metropolitan Operations Service John De Candia said the arrest was a result of collaboration between the retail industry and police.
"The size of the haul is significant and indicates the depth of the alleged offending we will allege has been taking place,'' he said.
"Operation Measure will continue to target recidivist offenders we believe are responsible for the majority of the offending of this nature.
"This type of theft is not victimless. Those who purchase cheap goods from online sites are unwittingly facilitating this crime and we would urge them to consider this.''
Operation Measure involves police and the retail industry working together to identify offending patterns and those responsible for retail theft. It targets recidivist offenders responsible for theft and those who use violence and threats during their crimes.
Operation Measure has had a positive impact on retail theft with a significant reduction in incidents since its inception. Almost 6,000 (5,927) retail thefts have been linked to nominated persons of interest, leading to about 2,500 (2,425) apprehensions (Arrests/Reports) linked to nominated persons of interest.
The June rolling crime statistics reveal shop theft in SA continued to decline with a six per cent decline reported – 18,343 to 17,225 offences – which is attributed to ongoing proactive operations. This is the eighth successive decline in reported shoplifting offences.
