A new Dayton-area task force targeting organized retail theft has announced its first major arrests, with five people indicted in two separate cases, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Kettering Police Chief Chip Protsman.

“The problem is much worse than petty theft, organized fraudsters are ripping off businesses for billions of dollars every year,” Yost said. “We’re standing up task forces across the state to address this blight and put the bad guys behind bars.”

The Tactical Crime Suppression Unit Organized Retail Crime Task Force is led by the Kettering Police Department and was created under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission following passage of the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement Act earlier this year.

In one case, Seth Davison, 39, of Columbus, was indicted on charges including organized retail theft after investigators say he stole more than $7,500 in merchandise. His alleged accomplice and driver, Jacqueline Tackett, 39, of Reynoldsburg, was also indicted on related charges.

In a second case, Christopher Lee, 43, of Hamilton; Dathan McCurdy, 44, of Cincinnati; and DeMarco Turbolt, 42, of Cincinnati, were each indicted on theft charges after store security reported suspicious activity. Investigators say more than $1,100 in stolen merchandise was recovered, along with items from other businesses.

Chief Protsman said the early indictments show the task force is already making an impact. “The men and women of the task force have hit the ground running,” he said. “This is only the beginning.”

Organized retail theft costs Ohio businesses an estimated $3 billion annually. The task force includes multiple local police departments, federal investigators and the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.