$8K in meds, perfume stolen from NC Costco, Ulta. Police suspect multi-state ring.

Matthews police are searching for two women suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of perfume from an Ulta store and over-the-counter meds from a nearby Costco in recent months.

The women are believed to be part of a “larger organized retail theft ring” hitting stores in the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland, according to a Matthews Police Department news release on Friday.

About $4,000 in fragrances were stolen from Ulta in the 2100 block of Matthews Township Parkway in the noon hour of April 30, police said.

Just before 3 p.m. May 20, about $3,200 worth of over-the counter medications were stolen from Costco in the same block of the parkway, according to police. On June 6, another $1,600 in over-the-counter meds were taken from the Costco, about 3:30 p.m., police said.

The women, seen on video surveillance, concealed the merchandise each time, but police aren’t saying how.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Matthews police Detective Daniel Michalak at 704-841-6793; dmichalak@matthewsnc.gov.