Thousands of stolen items recovered during retail theft search warrants in Gresham and Portland

After months of investigative work, law enforcement has shut down an organized retail theft operation in Gresham.

Following up on information obtained in previous retail theft cases, investigators from the Portland Police Bureau, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Gresham Police Department, and Multnomah County District Attorney's Office determined Said Alawi of Portland, was running a fencing operation from his home in Portland and the Oregon Flea Market in Gresham, where Alawi is a vendor.

This morning, a joint operation was carried out to serve warrants at the Oregon Flea Market and Alawi's home. Investigators recovered thousands of stolen items, including clothing, hygiene products, cosmetics, and other property. The retail cost of the recovered items is well over $10,000. Alawi will face charges including aggravated theft in the first degree and organized retail crime.

Organized retail crime impacts every member of the community by driving up prices at legitimate retailers. These price increases affect all products, not just frequently stolen items. Targeting the fencing operation where stolen goods are resold to the community disrupts one of the root causes of theft by reducing the demand for stolen goods.

Members of the community can assist in the fight against retail crime by remembering if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a store always has brand new, name brand merchandise, at significantly lower prices than any other retailer, there is a high chance they are re-selling stolen merchandise.

Networks involved in organized retail theft spread across city limits, county lines, and even state borders. The Gresham Police Department appreciates the assistance from PPB, CCSO, MCDA, and our retail industry partners. We will continue to work together to dismantle retail theft networks and hold accountable the offenders who profit from these operations.

Photos of stolen property

• Property 1.jpg
• Property 2.jpg
• Property 3.jpg
• Property 4.jpg
• Pants.jpg
• Pants 2.jpg
• Closet.jpg
• Closet 2.jpg
• Hats.jpg
• Kitchen.jpg
• Old Spice.jpg