Flickr photo by Jackson Boyle

There is a new “hot” item in town, and its not stereos, Cadillacs, or copper wiring.  Care to take a guess?

If you guessed “Tide” detergent,then you are correct.  Yes Tide, the same stuff that you washed your clothes with this weekend, has apparently become the next big target for the criminal underworld.

News outlets are reporting a “nationwide spike” in Tide theft, including one incident where an individual over the course of 15 months stole $25,000 worth of Tide from a Wal-mart near Minneapolis (Fox News Story).

About now is when you are probably wondering why Tide is such a popular item for thieves?  Yahoo! reports that thieves are selling Tide on the black market to buy drugs.  But why Tide?  Why not iPads, LCD TVs, or Blu-Ray players.  The same report notes that thieves are targeting Tide because: (1) it is one of the most popular brands and is easily recognizable for consumers, (2) it cannot be tracked because it does not have a serial number, and (3) a $10-$20 bottle can still go for $5 – $10 on the streets (Yahoo! Story).

With the thought of laundry detergent being sold on the black market, one can only begin to wonder what could be next.