The Home Depot store in Lansing, Kansas.
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A CREW of Home Depot shoppers has been rounded up and arrested after they were caught stealing $82,000 worth of items with a bizarre “shelf trick.”

The thieves devised a sick scheme to nab expensive tools from the home improvement store chain, but they couldn’t evade cops forever.

The Home Depot store in Lansing, Kansas.

Four Home Depot shoppers have been arrested after their tricky shoplifting scheme was uncoveredCredit: Getty
Stacks of lumber in a home improvement store aisle.

Two brothers found a bizarre way to walk out with a cart full of merchandiseCredit: Getty

On Thursday, four lawless shoppers admitted to targeting 60 Home Depot stores in California from October 2021 to February 2023.

The theft ring was led by brothers Jose Delasancha and Luis Delasancha, who used theft tools to disable anti-theft devices on items in the stores, the California Attorney General’s Office said.

After shutting down the tech, the shoplifters would then clear out an entire shelf full of merchandise and fill their carts to the brim.

Then, the brazen thieves would waltz right out of the door without paying for a single item in the basket.

The Delasancha brothers and two other men, Agustin Garfiaz and Everardo Carillo-Avilez, all admitted to taking part in the sick scheme.

Garfiaz and Carillo-Avilez helped the brothers resell the stolen goods online for a profit.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a searing statement after sentencing the crew, saying, “We are fighting organized crime in the field and in the courtroom.

“If you steal from businesses to line your own pockets, we will hold you accountable.

“We will not tolerate theft that puts our communities and businesses at risk.”

This is just the latest in a string of arrests as retail chains and law enforcement crack down on shoplifters’ creative schemes to steal items.

Many Walmart shoppers may think they can pretend to miss a few items at self-checkout, but the brand has made it clear that rulebreakers will be caught.

One customer, Matthew Patrick Gay, thought he had officials fooled after he devised a creative “diamond ring” scam to steal $7,000 worth of items.

He would go to the jewelry counter at Walmart stores and ask the attendant to check out the most precious rings.

Then, when the worker wasn’t looking, he would quickly swap the diamond ring with a fake that was in his pocket, officials said.

Gay would then give the fake ring back to the worker and breeze out of the store with the real one in tow.

Officials were able to finally catch him after they reviewed surveillance and watched him clearly make the switch.

Walmart shoplifting arrests

  • Ashley Cross was caught on security cameras using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1, cops say
  • Ex-officer Mark Leenerts stole $317.88 worth of merchandise from Walmart stores in Topeka, Kansas
  • Jeremiah Boyer allegedly pocketed $52,800 in fees on 874 orders while working for Walmart’s online delivery service Spark
  • Brent Adam Brooks, of Sylva, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly trying to steal a $198 Frigidaire ice maker
  • Kabreshia Caldwell is accused of targeting senior customers at Walmarts across Northeast Florida, stealing a total of $10,000
  • Katherine Gordon allegedly stole $80 worth of groceries using the ‘banana trick’ at self-checkout

BAN WARNING

Shoppers should know that if they brazenly steal from major retail chains, they could be banned for good.

In February, another customer was blocked from every Walmart store in the US after she was caught using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1.

Meanwhile, two women were arrested after swiping more than $100,000 in goods using a slick “package” scam at Target and Walmart stores.

And one man with a hilariously ironic name was caught stealing over $20,000 worth of items with a sneaky trick.

Jose Delasancha, 34, pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Luis Delasancha, 33, also pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and was hit with four years.

Carillo-Avilez pleaded guilty to organized retail theft and will be on felony probation for two years.

Garfiaz pleaded guilty to organized retail theft and receiving stolen property and was also hit with two years of felony probation

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