Irvine police say 28-year-old Jarrelle Augustine poured dried semolina into empty $400 Star Wars and Marvel boxes to mimic the rattle of bricks — then walked them back to the return counter. He's one of many cashing in on a booming LEGO resale market where retired sets outperform gold.

Police arrested Jarrelle Augustine, 28, for allegedly stealing $34,000 worth of Lego sets from Target stores nationwide.