Patrick Costanzo stole $25,000 in laundry detergent from Wal-Mart

Patrick Costanzo cleaned Wal-Mart's shelves out of laundry detergent

Patrick Costanzo pled guilty to stealing laundry detergent from a West St. Paul Wal-Mart, which might not sound so bad except that Costanzo allegedly snatched $25,000 worth of laundry detergent over the past 15 months.

Yes, Costanzo allegedly stole $25,000 worth of laundry detergent from Wal-Mart.

Costanzo was caught last month after security tapes caught him taking detergent from the store several days a week. The Wal-Mart began a thorough audit that showed $25,000 worth of detergent had disappeared from the store.

Investigators say that Costanzo, 53, was meticulous and organized about his shoplifting.

"It's like he put the pieces in there like Tetris pieces. He maximized that cart, there's no wasted space," Sean Melville of the West St. Paul police told ABC News.

Tide, ABC reports, has become a "kind of currency on the streets." Thieves sell it for half the price on the black market, where it's impossible to track due to the lack of a serial number.

And here we thought Costanzo's clothes were simply dirty.

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Patrick Costanzo may have stolen $25,000 in detergent from West St. Paul laundromat