Thirteen people were arrested during a retail theft bust at a popular San Bernardino County shopping mall.

The operation took place at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga on April 19, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

As deputies descended on the outdoor shopping center, 13 suspects were spotted and were arrested in connection to retail thefts.

Authorities seized around $10,926 in stolen property during the massive bust. Photos of some of the stolen items include beauty products and accessories, backpacks, wallets, athletic clothing and more. 

SBSD’s Operation SMASH & Grab cracks down on retail theft crimes in the Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville, and Chino Hills shopping district areas.

Authorities said the operation was a response to a troubling rise in violent and costly retail thefts involving organized crime groups.

“These violent criminals terrorize the citizens of San Bernardino County by utilizing intimidation tactics and a mob mentality that creates an unsafe and uncomfortable shopping environment for our residents,” said SBSD. “Investigators utilize conventional and non-conventional investigative methods to accomplish this task and lessen the blight created by these bad actors.”

Six of the arrested suspects face felony charges and seven others face misdemeanors, deputies said.

Fundraising platform GoFundMe announced its expansion into Mexico on Tuesday. 

Mexico is the crowdfunding platform’s 20th country, according to a GoFundMe release, and it is the company’s first international expansion in six years. 

As of Tuesday, organizers in Mexico can create fundraisers, accept donations and withdraw funds in Mexican Pesos (MXN). 

“Launching in our 20^th country is a huge milestone which will provide people across Mexico with a safe, easy and powerful way to raise money for the people and causes they care about,” GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan said. “Every country we’ve gone into has adopted GoFundMe in its own unique way but there is a common underlying theme shared everywhere: the desire to help each other is a universal human truth.” 

Since its inception in 2010, GoFundMe has raised more than $30 billion, and donations from non-English-speaking countries have grown by an estimated 400% over the last six years. 

Although online and sports betting is not legal in California, the Golden State still finished just outside the top 10 on WalletHub’s recent list of most gambling-addicted states.

WalletHub compared the 50 states to determine where excessive gambling is most prevalent. Their data set of 20 key metrics ranges from the presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to the share of adults with gambling disorders.

California finished 11th overall and is in the top 10 for Gambling Problem and Treatment Rank (7th) and in Gambling-Related Arrests Per Capita (8th), according to WalletHub’s study.

California also ranked 24th in Casinos Per Capita and 50th in Legality of Sports Gambling.

Not all gamblers are the same, WalletHub writes. “Recreational” or “social” gamblers, for instance, buy the occasional lottery ticket, take the rare casino trip or bet small stakes in fantasy sports, but they set limits on how much they gamble and don’t cause financial harm to themselves.

When gambling gets out of control, though, it becomes a real medical condition. Gambling disorder, as it’s known, affects about 1-3% of all U.S. adults. That addiction can lead to serious economic consequences. While the gambling industry made a record $66.5 billion in revenue last year, U.S. consumers experience over $100 billion per year in total gambling losses.

Not surprisingly Nevada, the home of Sin City, topped the list of most gambling-addicted states.