Laundry detergent, teeth-whitening kits and fabric spray are the unlikely contraband in a growing crime trend that Chandler police say is hitting grocers and raising prices for honest consumers.

"It's a national epidemic," Sgt. Joe Favazzo said of organized grocery-store theft rings like one recently identified in Chandler.

Last week, police arrested three men who are accused of purchasing the stolen goods and reselling them at two convenience markets they operated in Chandler and Phoenix. The arrests culminated a three-month undercover investigation during which Safeway and Fry's grocery stores supplied police with loads of the most desirable items to sell as stolen merchandise.

"We couldn't have done it without help from these stores," Favazzo said.

The department launched the investigation after representatives from the grocery chains asked Chandler for help to stem increasingly large theft losses. Favazzo said an estimated $50,000 in stolen merchandise was resold by this ring in three months.

Sami Shiha, 32, Samer Shiha, 23, and Hane Sheiha, 32, were arrested at three locations in Chandler and Phoenix.

Records state the stolen items were sold to Shiha Corporation in Chandler at AAmigo Market, 500 E. Chandler Blvd., and in Phoenix at Easy Mart, 6351 N. 16th St. Both markets resold the stolen items at discounted prices, Favazzo said.

According to Arizona Corporation Commission records, Samir Shiha is president of the Shiha Corporation and a Sam Shiha is listed as president of A Amigo Food Mart. The corporate address listed for A Amigo is that of Phoenix Easy Mart.

Chandler police also served a search warrant on a Phoenix home in the 7000 block of North 15th Street, Favazzo said. Maricopa County property records show Samir Shiha is the owner of a house at 7041 N. 15th St., which also is the corporate address for Shiha Corporation.

On Friday after the arrest, A Amigo Food Mart was closed. It had reopened by Monday. An employee said the owners were not available.

Mike Slupinski, security manager for Safeway, said organized retail theft is growing in the Valley and nationwide, noting, "It's a problem for consumers and local government."

Stolen goods represent a loss in sales-tax dollars for cities and losses to the store that force price increases, he and Favazzo said.

Slupinski said retailers have come together under the Organized Retail Crime Alliance, a networking group formed last year. Members vow to "work with law enforcement to help them with whatever they need."

Thieves are increasingly targeting non-food items such as cosmetics, cleaning products and personal hygiene items because they are easy to sell, Slupinski said.

"A lot of it is the economy. Criminals are going to find different ways to get what they want and they look at the market. If they feel there's a market for something and they can sell it easily, they steal it," Slupinski said.

Favazzo said his department and others across the Valley are seeing an increase in brazen, large-scale thefts from grocery and other retail stores.

They are known to load grocery carts with expensive cleaning products or grab dozens of clothing or jewelry items from retail racks without looking at prices or sizes. They ignore commands from unarmed store security, and by the time police arrive, they have driven away with the goods.

Consumers can help by being observant, writing down license-plate numbers or discreteely taking pictures with their cellphones, he said.

But he cautions them not to confront the thieves. Favazzo said he heard of a recent incident where someone pushed a shopping cart in front of the thief's car after watching a store security employee's failed attempt to stop the culprit. The suspect hit the cart and drove off.