Over 14,000 bottles of alcohol worth $800,000 stolen from Virginia ABC stores in first half of 2024

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — New data obtained by 8News through a public records request shows that thieves are stealing bottles from state-run Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) stores with regularity.

Between January and June of 2024, thieves stole more than 14,000 bottles of alcohol from ABC stores in Virginia, totaling more than $800,000. Total losses are up 46.5% compared to the first half of year.

Barbara Staib with the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention says that the shoplifting epidemic is fueled by a lack of enforcement and misconceptions.

“We’ve sent a message that low levels of shoplifting will be either accepted or ignored and they are frankly not worth our time and energy to enforce,’ said Staib.

Meanwhile, some stores are getting targeted over and over again. One store in Norfolk was burglarized 113 times in the first six months of 2024, costing more than $15,000 worth of alcohol.

Perhaps the most brazen thefts both occurred on June 13th. Thieves stole over $9,000 worth of booze at a store in Fairfax County, while just about 25 miles away in a separate incident in Manassas, others stole 228 bottles of alcohol.

“Would we like to see the police do more or any one entity do more? No. We want to see the collective group do more from retailers to police, to the prosecutors, to the judges, again it takes a community, applies here,” said Staib.

8News requested an interview with a representative from ABC to ask about retail theft, but nobody was made available. In a statement, the agency said, in part, “Virginia ABC is continually reviewing and implementing changes at its retail stores to better deter and detect theft.”

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