Florida baby formula theft ring busted after 150 store heists and $1 million in sales

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of two alleged ringleaders in a baby formula theft ring.Investigators say the theft operation spanned across multiple counties and resulted in over one million dollars in stolen merchandise.It’s being called a multi-circuit organized retail theft enterprise, a case that was finally cracked after a 15-month investigation. According to investigators, the stolen baby formula was being stored inside a warehouse in Davie. The slip at the warehouse comes back to a man named Mohammaed Alsaidi.

According to state records, he runs a hookah company, but Local 10 News has learned Alsaidi, 59, was arrested on accusations of being the head of the formula theft ring, along with 49-year-old Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib. Both are from the Lake Worth area, and both are now in custody.The baby formula theft ring, according to investigators, uses “boosters,” described as people who are paid to steal the product from stores like Publix, Target, Walmart and Winn-Dixie.Those boosters would then allegedly sell the stolen formula to the Alsaidi and Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, and cops say the couple would sell the product on the illegal market far below its retail value.Authorities said the pair eventually made more than $1 million in profit off the scam in as little as seven months, from November of 2024 to June of 2025. Both suspects face charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering and two counts of directing or dealing in stolen property, all first-degree felonies.

If convicted as charged, each faces up to 90 years in state prison. .l10-neighborhood, .l10-neighborhood * { box-sizing: border-box; } .l10-neighborhood{ --blue-dark:#0d2c73; --blue:#1f57c4; --blue-light:#3370e6; --gray-bg:#f2f3f5; --gray-border:#d6d8dc; --text-dark:#1a1a1a; --white:#ffffff; font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Arial,sans-serif; max-width:860px; margin:1.5rem auto; border-radius:10px; overflow:hidden; border:1px solid var(--gray-border); background:var(--gray-bg); box-shadow:0 4px 14px rgba(0,0,0,.12); text-align:center; } .l10-head{ background:linear-gradient(90deg,var(--blue-dark),var(--blue)); color:var(--white); padding:12px 16px; font-weight:800; text-transform:uppercase; font-size:1rem; letter-spacing:.3px; display:flex; justify-content:center; align-items:center; gap:8px; } .l10-body{ max-width:740px; margin:0 auto; pad… Investigators say nine professional shoplifters carried out more than 150 thefts before selling the stolen formula to two alleged ringleaders in Lake Worth.