KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Sheriff's Office released information about retail theft during the 2023 holiday season on Monday. It said deputies arrested or cited around 425 people over the holiday season.
KCSO said it found around $278,000 worth of products during the holiday season as well as around 2,900 grams of narcotics. The sheriff's office also said deputies apprehended people from Houston and Miami. In a release, it said those suspects traveled to Knoxville to steal items.
Throughout the holiday season, the sheriff's office's Organized Retail Crime Unit ended its "Holiday Task Force" operations on Dec. 23, 2023.
The unit also captured six groups of two or more people who the sheriff's office said stole at least $5,000 worth of items. One case involved stolen items worth at least $2 million, according to KCSO. It said a group had committed gift card fraud and had more than 800 cloned gift cards.