Two Hoover brothers have been charged in a widespread retail theft scheme in which authorities said they made more than $1 million.

Yahya Maossama Amar, 33, and Abdurrahman Yousef Amar, 31, are charged with two counts each of first-degree retail theft and second-degree retail theft. Both operate businesses in Birmingham.

They were taken into custody Thursday at their Hoover homes.

Police say a large amount of stolen property – worth about $30,000 – was recovered during the morning raids at multiple locations in Hoover and Birmingham.

The investigation began in January when Hoover Financial Crimes detectives assigned to the U.S. Secret Service Birmingham Cyber Fraud Task Force began looking into an organized retail theft operation after receiving reports from retailers who believed their merchandise was being stolen and re-sold.

Hoover police Lt. Daniel Lowe said the investigation showed the Amar brothers employed associates to shoplift merchandise from several local retailers including Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe’s and Target at locations throughout the Birmingham-Hoover metro area.

The merchandise was then placed for resale on various online marketplaces where it was sold far below retail value.

One of the online accounts associated with the Amar brothers has processed over $1 million in revenue, Lowe said.

On Thursday morning, authorities carried out search warrants in four different locations.

Yahya Amar was taken into custody at a residence in the 3400 block of Flintshire Drive in Hoover, and Abdurrahman Amar was taken into custody at a residence in the 5600 block of Colony Lane.

Search warrants were carried out at both Hoover residences along with businesses in the 1100 block of Forestdale Boulevard and 2600 block of 31st Avenue North in Birmingham.

The brothers were booked into the Hoover City Jail and will later be transferred Jefferson County Jail where they will be held on bonds totaling $90,000 each.

These charges are part of the Retail Theft Crime Prevention Act passed by the Alabama legislature earlier this year.

Those taking part in the Secret Service’s operation include investigators with the Hoover, Birmingham, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster, Trussville, Helena police departments and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.