The Gilbert and Phoenix police departments were part of a six-month state probe of a retail theft ring that cost more than 2,700 victims some $1.2 million in stolen SNAP benefits, officials announced Thursday.

Attorney General Kris Mayes said the work of the Organized Retail Theft Task Force seized more than 3,200 cans of baby formula, more than 1,200 cloned Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, skimming devices and equipment used to manufacture fraudulent EBT cards.

“Those participating in organized retail theft are on notice that in Arizona, their organizations will be disrupted, they will be apprehended, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mayes said.

“Organized retail theft and fraud harms all of us, from the victims themselves to regular Arizonans facing increased prices that result from theft.”

The Phoenix Police Department also participated in the investigation.

“The Gilbert Police Department is committed to combatting organized retail theft and is appreciative of the partnership between our local and state agencies who worked together to identify and locate the suspects in this investigation who victimized businesses and residents within our communities,” department officials said in a release from Mayes' office.

DES Director Angie Rodgers said SNAP is a “lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, and DES will continue to investigate all reported instances of EBT card skimming in partnership with the federal government and other law enforcement agencies.”