Massive raid nets $153K in beauty products bound for black market at Downey storage unit

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- L.A. County sheriff's deputies might call it a "beauty" of a find -- a storage unit filled with stolen makeup, skin care and beauty products. All of them likely bound for the black market. Beauty retailers lose millions each year and these thefts cost shoppers too.

The shelves of this storage unit look similar to the aisles of a Sephora or Ulta Beauty store– but it’s actually a crime scene.

“We conducted a search warrant at this location and upon clearing this location, we were able to locate evidence here,” said Capt. Calvin Mah with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau.

Eyewitness News was alongside deputies as they carried out a raid this week in Downey. This led investigators to a storage warehouse where over $153,000 worth of makeup and beauty products were allegedly being sold on the black market. Deputies also recovered about $200,000 in cash during this raid.

“People will be stealing these items, and then they'll be shipping them to a certain location for redistribution, and then once they do that, they'll repackage it and sell it,” Mah said.

They will sell it for prices almost too good to be true...that's because they are.

“This individual responsible is shipping items out and selling things via social media - the prices might be lower and things of that nature,” Mah said.

Sheriff’s deputies say the price of this kind of theft actually comes out of customers’ wallets.

“The retailers are constantly having their products stolen. It's an increase in price in products, and increase in price with security for these retailers, so therefore what we're trying to do is stop this because the community gets affected as they’re  paying higher prices,” Mah said.

Mah says his team is conducting these kinds of operations weekly. Earlier this year, investigators recovered about $4 million in stolen products, including a large amount of Ulta Beauty merchandise.

“If you continue to buy things that you know might not be legitimate purchases, you're then now part of the problem,” said Rachel Michelin, the CEO of the California Retailers Association.

The California Retailers Association says organized retail theft has been trending down since 2024. But it's still happening, still costly and still dangerous.

“We cannot take our foot off the gas when it comes to this. We want to make sure we continue to make sure it decreases. I think we’re making progress but sometimes it’s two steps forward, three steps back,” Michelin said.

The California Retail Association says they applaud Gov. Gavin Newsom for funding efforts to attack this crime. They're now asking the federal government to do the same.