8 Alleged Price Gougers Arrested in CA After Reselling Toilet Paper, Masks, Gloves, & More
Written by SOURCE on March 20, 2020
8 people have been arrested in California for allegedly reselling masks, gloves, toilet paper, and disinfectants at preposterously high prices amid increased demand due to COVID-19.
The arrests were the result of an undercover investigation into suspected online price gouging in the San Diego area, per Fox 5‘s report. The Fallbrook Sheriff’s Substation said the affected products included masks, gloves, disinfectants, and toilet paper. As for the gouging tactics, authorities said they were being sold for as much as 20 times the typical retail price by way of Craigslist, Facebook, and similar services.
The eight arrested individuals were caught thanks to deputies rocking plainclothes attire and meeting with them under the pretense of making a sale, typically in a public setting such as a mall or parking lot, at which point they were cited and released. The state’s law on such matters intends to halt “excessive and unjustified” price increases in goods and services deemed essential during an emergency situation. If found to have broken this legality, individuals are met with the possibility of up to a year behind bars and/or a fine potentially as high as $10,000.
Unfortunately, the practice of reselling essential goods such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer has been fairly commonplace in recent weeks. The latter, for example, inadvertently resulted in one of the most satisfyingly awkward long pauses in television history:
