And as 5a string of 6high-profile 7busts suggests, big business for 8shoplifters. A recent theft ring bust in LA 9led to the recovery of more than 2,800 stolen Lego sets police say were being resold out of a residence. 

Another in Eugene, Oregon was described as a months long organized crime investigation netting over 4,000 stolen sets with a value of over $200,000. One police department in Kansas says they investigated 19 Lego related thefts in just a four-month 10span. 

Data suggests these crimes are a problem for businesses of all sizes from 11big-box retailers to small third party resellers. But why Lego? 

University of Cincinnati Criminal Professor John Eck says LEGO perfectly 12embodies a research 13acronym called CRAVED, created to break down the key 14attributes of highly sought products. 

"You can hide them on your body. They're often small. There's a lot of them. You can sell them to somebody or give them to somebody and get something for it. The more product has these characteristics, the more likely it is to be a high volume theft item." 

With no real way to track these highly desirable and easily offloadable items, business owners are the ones left 15picking up the pieces, while investigators slowly build their cases 16brick by brick to contend with a criminal trend that is anything but child's play.