[gfloyd2002]

It is used as currency for drug and other black market purchases. Stable resale market (about 1/2 face value) on an item everyone needs. Tide is very recognizeable and (until now) didn't indicate anything criminal, no way to trace it (unlike electronic items and cash), doesn't spoil (unlike some other commodities) and is safer to deal in than cash. Nice side benefit for a drug dealer who may face stiffer penalties if caught with a large amount of cash - Courts convert the cash found into equivalent drug amounts and sentence based upon the large total. This could change a misdemeanor count into a felony with mandatory 20 year minimum sentence. (See, e.g., U.S. v. Henderson, 254 F.3d 543, 544 (5th Cir. 2001) (upheld converting $1,560 into seven grams of cocaine base); United States v. Perkins, 94 F.3d 429, 437-438 (8th Cir. 1996) (upheld conversion of 1/3 cash seized from defendant into crack); United States v. Tokars, 95 F.3d 1520, 1542 (11th Cir. 1996) (upheld conversion of money from drug sales into equivalent amount of drugs); United States v. Sepulveda, 102 F.3d 1313, 1319 (1st Cir. 1996) (upheld converting cash into crack rather than powder cocaine).

Harrison Sprague, a detective in Prince George's County, Md., and other police across the country have linked the Tide thefts to drug sales, according to The Daily. Sprague said, "We think (users) are trading it for drugs."

In Gresham, Ore., "They'll do it right in front of a cop car -- buying heroin or methamphetamine with Tide," detective Rick Blake told The Daily.

Others say stolen Tide is sold on the black market. "They've done the same thing with baby formula for years," West St. Paul, Minn., police Chief Bud Shaver told the Star Tribune. "It's an essential. You're going to buy it." The Star Tribune reported recently that a Wal-Mart in West St. Paul had lost an estimated $25,000 worth of Tide over the span of 15 months.

Laundry detergent is something all households need, and the price of Tide -- $10 to $20 per bottle retail -- translates to $5 to $10 on the black market, which makes it a stable currency, according to The Daily. Also, detergent is not perishable, and -- unlike electronic items -- carries no identifying information.

...a recent drug sting turned up more Tide than cocaine.

"We sent in an informant to buy drugs. The dealer said, 'I don't have drugs, but I could sell you 15 bottles of Tide,' " Sprague told The Daily. "Upstairs in the drug dealer's bedroom was about 14 bottles of Tide laundry soap. We think [users] are trading it for drugs."