An Amazon theft ring has been uncovered by the FBI allegedly involving two contract Amazon delivery drivers and millions of dollars’ worth of goods sold on the site.
Ten million dollars in stolen goods are thought to have been sold by the criminal organisation since 2013, according to an FBI search warrant affidavit unsealed last month.
Two pawn shops in Auburn, South Seattle, have been implicated in the investigation, which alleges that both businesses were purchasing stolen goods and subsequently selling them on Amazon under the pseudonyms “Bestforyouall” and “Freeshipforyou”.
While police were investigation the activity of these pawn shops, a detective uncovered two individuals who had over 50 receipts regarding sales at these pawn shops.
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The pair implicated are roommates who both work as delivery drivers for Amazon contractor JW Logistics, hired to ship goods from a warehouse south of Seattle to a post office for shipping.
Instead the pair regularly visited the pawn shops to sell the stolen goods, the first receiving nearly $30,000 from the pawn shops between February and July last year.
According to Amazon the second stole around $100,000 worth of property, receiving just $20,000 for the goods, including computers and gaming systems, from the pawn shops.
“When we learned there was an investigation into two contracted drivers, we cooperated with law enforcement by providing them the information they requested,” Amazon said in a statement.
“Additionally, we strictly prohibit inauthentic or stolen goods from being offered in our store and take action when sellers do not comply”.
More than 48,000 items, many of which were still in their original packaging, are reported to have been purchased from sellers by the pair of pawn shops in the last six years, paying out more than $4.1 million.
An individual, thought to be the ringleader of the operation, has been arrested in relation to the investigation, but no charges have yet been filed.
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