Attorney General William Tong has announced the formation of a new task force to clamp down on the increase in robberies occurring in retail stores
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Tong estimated the state loses $170 million in sales taxes annually from this activity.
“You”™ve all seen the headlines ”“ stores like CVS, Walgreens, Home Depot and Stop & Shop in Connecticut and across the nation are being targeted by organized groups of thieves who steal merchandise to sell online,” Tong said.
Tong added that the task force will cooperate with other states to stop the interstate trafficking of stolen goods and break up the crime rings involved in these operations. He also made a plea to the major e-commerce sites to increase their efforts to address the issue.
“We”™re calling on big tech companies like Amazon and Facebook to be better partners to stop the flow of these illegal goods, which cost retailers hundreds of millions of dollars each year and jeopardize the safety of frontline essential workers,” he said.
