It's called "organized retail theft," and our state just passed the toughest law in the country to try and stop it.

Surveillance pictures show thieves walking out with carts full of stolen goods or stuffing them into their clothes. Security cameras caught one man running out of the store with cases of medicine.

The thieves work in groups, connected by cell phones. Some act as lookouts; others distract staff, while the others rip off the store.

They steal baby products or items you'd find in any medicine cabinet -- teeth whitening strips, eye drops, heartburn medication, etc. They can sweep in and out of a grocery store in minutes.

The Washington Food Industry is tracking the problem. They say the crooks resell the items often to stores in Southern California.

Organized retail theft escalated when our state started putting cold medicine behind the counter if it contained psudoephedrine, a common ingredient in meth. Now instead of making the drug - addicts need cash to buy it.

"It's not as easy to set up your own little neighborhood meth lab any more," said Clif Finch, Vice President of the Washington Food Industry. "So they are clearly gravitating into our stores to steal anything they can to get money."

Some grocery chains are now putting plainclothes officers in their stores. They also persuaded lawmakers to crack down. This session, our state became the first in the country to make organized retail theft an automatic felony.

"We are sending a very clear message," said Finch, "and that is, hands off Washington state, come here at your own risk."

That law goes into effect next month, and not a day too soon. One major grocery chain reports that in the last year, theft increased 25 percent.

The Washington Food Industry estimates it's costing each grocery chain in our state $200,000 a year in losses.