Tide Detergent Is Addicts' New Target

Cops report a new trend among drug addicts: stealing Tide laundry detergent to sell on the streets. Initially finding the targeted thefts of the product baffling, police now believe that addicts are selling the detergent to make fast cash. The theory goes that Tide's bright, instantly recognizable orange bottles and relatively high price ensure a reliable illicit market—with a bottle that costs $20 in a store fetching up to half that amount on the street. Recently 54-year-old Ronald Ledesma was apprehended by police in California's Orange County after loading a grocery cart with nine bottles of Tide at a store and running out, before crashing his car into the back of a paramedic truck. Police say he was under the influence of meth when he was arrested. "[Addicts] are selling it on the street for five, ten bucks," says Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino. His department has sent alerts to nearby agencies to monitor the possibly developing trend. Meanwhile a man in West St. Paul, Minnesota recently allegedly stole $25,000 worth of Tide, which boasts "Outstanding Cleaning and Stain Removal."