Coral Springs detective helps uncover $1.1 million baby formula theft operation
Coral Springs, Florida – A Coral Springs police detective spent 15 months helping investigators uncover a large baby formula theft operation that allegedly moved stolen products across Florida and generated about $1.1 million in sales.
Detective Diane Wantuck, who is assigned to the Florida attorney general’s retail theft task force, worked with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies during the investigation. Members of the Coral Springs Police Department’s General Investigations Unit also assisted with the case.
The investigation focused on a Lake Worth couple who investigators say paid shoplifters to steal baby formula from retail stores. The stolen products were then stored and resold.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges against the suspects during a September 10 news conference in West Palm Beach.
Read also: Trick Daddy and Trina bring Miami hip-hop hits to Coral Springs on Oct. 17
According to investigators, the operation was connected to more than 150 baby formula thefts between 2024 and 2026. The alleged thefts took place at major retailers including Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Winn-Dixie. The retailers reported losses totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The investigation also highlighted the broader effect of formula theft on families who depend on the products. When formula is removed from store shelves, parents can have a harder time finding what they need.
Empty shelves “can force families to search elsewhere or stock up when they find it, further limiting availability for other families who depend on it,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a statement.
Baby formula thefts were also reported in nearby Coconut Creek during the period covered by the investigation. On May 4, 2025, two women reportedly left the CVS on Lyons Road with approximately $1,225 worth of baby formula.
Two weeks later, on May 17, two women took about $765 worth of formula from the Publix at 6570 N. State Road 7 in Coconut Creek, according to police. Investigators believed the incidents were connected at the time. However, the attorney general’s office has not connected those thefts to the Lake Worth couple.
State investigators say Mohammed Alsaidi, 59, and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, 49, operated the alleged resale operation. According to the state, the couple paid shoplifters roughly $10 per can, or about one-fifth of the retail price.
The formula was reportedly kept at two locations — the couple’s Lake Worth home and a warehouse in Davie. Investigators said the products were then resold, with sales totaling approximately $1.1 million between November 2024 and June 2025.
The couple was arrested on September 1.
Read also: Coral Springs to hold final public forum on proposed property tax amendment
During a search of the Davie warehouse, investigators found approximately 1,000 cans of baby formula. The products were estimated to be worth about $38,000, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s detective who spoke at the news conference.
Investigators also found a concern with the conditions inside the warehouse. The building did not have climate control, and temperatures were above 90 degrees on the day of the search.
The investigation has resulted in charges against nine people accused of stealing formula and selling it to the couple. One of those suspects, Kenneth Jones Jr., is accused of being connected to more than 50 formula thefts in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Those thefts totaled more than $70,000, according to the attorney general’s office.
Alsaidi and Zabib each face one charge of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of running the sale of stolen property. If convicted, each could face up to 90 years in prison.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies over more than a year, with Wantuck and other investigators working to trace stolen formula from retail stores to the alleged buyers and resale locations.
For Coral Springs police, the case also highlights the department’s involvement in a statewide effort targeting organized retail theft, with Detective Wantuck working as part of the Florida attorney general’s retail theft task force.
