What Is Behind the Retail Theft Surge and Can California Stop It? | Travis Gillmore | Rudy Blalock

California Insider

“There is actually a resale market in California that’s quite healthy. We have a black market on the streets, and this is easily visible. They are selling things at a fraction of the cost of if you go into the store and actually purchase it yourself. I’ve talked to police and law enforcement, and they tell me there’s a direct correlation here between drug addiction, retail theft, and these illicit black markets,” Mr. Gillmore says.

Siyamak sits down with Travis Gilmore, reporter with The Epoch Times. He'll explain what’s going on with retail theft in California and how the policymakers are trying to deal with it. We also sit down with Rudy Blalock, Epoch Times’ reporter, who’s going to share what he has seen on the ground investigating retail theft.

“As long as it’s below $950, then he would just walk out of the store. And he had a friend that would sell them on OfferUp, and he told me that he gets about a 30% exchange rate. He estimated about $50,000. People on the streets understand the law, the drug dealers understand the law, and they’re using it to their full advantage,” Mr. Blalock says.

*Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider