Surveillance footage from all over is blowing up on X right now it’s this 1:56 mashup of local news clips showing guys sneaking into Home Depots, piling up carts with drills, insulation, and whatever else they could grab, then just dipping out without a dime paid. It’s not just some viral clip; this is legit, backed up by officials in Queens, and it lays bare how these slick crews are bleeding millions out of chain stores like it’s nothing.
A tweet from X.
On December 11, 2025, Queens DA Melinda Katz teamed up with New York Governor Kathy Hochul for a presser in Flushing, where they laid out the whole mess. The tables were stacked with the haul they’d recovered: power tools, AC units, smoke alarms, detergent pods, and heaps of insulation. Katz put it straight:
“This wasn’t a side gig these folks treated it like a 9-to-5. They even clocked lunch and nap breaks.”
Authorities slapped the name “Operation Self Checkout” on it, fitting since that’s how they pulled off a lot of the grabs. This crew out of Queens allegedly targeted 128 Home Depot locations across nine states New York, Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Mass, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Maryland. From mid-August 2024 right up to September 11, 2025, they pulled off 319 hits, swiping more than $2.2 million in merch.
The boss was Armando Diaz, a 52-year-old from Flushing. Every morning at 5:30, the group would link up in an East Elmhurst lot. They’d scope out inventory the night before using the Home Depot app to pick spots with fat stock. Then, in teams of three or four, they’d roll in separately, chat via earbuds, keep employees busy, and slip out through self-checkout or side doors. Some stores got hammered up to four times in one day, with takes ranging from about $1,800 to almost $35K.
The stolen stuff got flipped to fences guys like Freddy Padilla up in the Bronx or some spot in Brooklyn dealing in black-market goods. Other pieces ended up on Facebook Marketplace. So far, they’ve clawed back $1.5 million worth from houses, 14 storage spots, and eight rides, and they’re betting on more.
Thirteen people, mostly New Yorkers, are staring down 780 felony charges like grand larceny and conspiracy. Eleven have already been arraigned in Queens Supreme Court, with bails set from $50K to $250K; most are out on bond or under supervision. One’s still on the run, another’s waiting for the full court appearance. First dates kick off January 7, 2026. If convicted, the top dogs could do up to 25 years, while the fences might get 15. Remember, everyone’s innocent till the gavel drops.
Katz called this the biggest retail theft takedown Queens has ever seen. Hochul gave props to fresh state laws that let them lump theft values together for felonies, plus backup from state troopers, Home Depot’s security crew, and Homeland Security.
This whole thing shines a light on a bigger nightmare ripping through the country: organized shoplifting rings. FBI numbers show a 20% jump from 2020 to 2023, with outfits like this fueling the fire. It jacks up prices for everyone, leads to more locked-up shelves, and just pisses off regular shoppers. In New York, though, retail crime dipped 14% in 2025, thanks to beefed-up crackdowns, according to the state.
With chains like Home Depot eating billions in losses every year, busts like this are pushing for smarter tech and stricter rules. Home Depot’s VP Scott Glenn hailed it as a win for “keeping shoppers and store folks safe.” Whatever goes down in court could reshape how we handle these money-making mobs.
