Two men are accused of stealing $26,000 worth of baby formula from several stores in Georgia, the Associated Press reported on Monday.
Police arrested Regulo Sanchez-Romero and Mateo Sanchez-Romero on Thursday and apprehended a 16-year-old who was with them as they exited a Publix store north of Atlanta, allegedly in possession of 12 cans of stolen baby formula, officials said.
When police searched their car, they recovered 662 cans of formula “from various supermarkets stolen from Atlanta area stores valued at $26,000,” according to the the Cartersville Police Department.
“We believe right now that they have hit several locations, Publix, Kroger, Walmart and more in just over a course of a couple of days,” Lt. Greg Sparacio said.
Both men are facing charges for felony theft by shoplifting, felony theft by receiving, and contributing the delinquency of a minor. Regulo Sanchez-Romero is additionally facing a charge for driving while unlicensed, and Mateo Sanchez-Romero is facing a charge for providing a false name and date of birth.
“Both adults furnished Dallas, Texas, addresses and are housed at the Bartow County Jail,” police said.
The Associated Press noted that a February 2021 shutdown of a large baby formula factory and recall of many of its products helped trigger a nationwide formula shortage, though “supplies have largely rebounded more than a year later.”
A sign is seen next to a small amount of toddler nutritional drink mix at Target in Stevensville, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, as a nationwide shortage of baby formula continues due to supply chain crunches tied to the coronavirus pandemic that have already strained the country’s formula stock, an issue that was further exacerbated by a major product recall in February. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)