The thieves would then recycle the plastic and take the recycling money, Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F.Ivey said. The prosecutor made the announcement at a news conference at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Capitol Heights. The soft drink manufacturer is one of the businesses that has been hardest hit by the thefts, Ivey and a company official said.

"This is a multimillion-dollar problem," Ivey said. "It undermines the businesses, and the costs are passed along to consumers."

For the past seven months private investigator James Rood worked on behalf of a consortium of businesses hit by plastic container thieves. The group includes Coca-Cola, H&S Bakery, Safeway and Shoppers Food Warehouse. Business officials said a single, large plastic pallet costs about $60. Rood, a former Baltimore police investigator, said many of the thefts occur during late at night or early in the morning.

The thieves typically target warehouses, retail stories, dairies, bakeries and restaurants at which plastic pallets and crates are left outside unattended, Rood said.

The culprits often use large pickup trucks or rental trucks, Rood said. The stolen items are typically taken to a recycling center, where they are shredded. Recycling centers pay about 8 cents a pound for plastic, Rood said. The thieves sometimes steal the rental vehicles, too, Rood said.

Recycling centers send the shredded material to manufacturers, who often use the ground plastic to make more plastic pallets and containers, Rood and business officials said.

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