Ohio, (WOWO) — A new law has recently gone into effect in Ohio, and if you’re a porch pirate – you may want to find a new place to practice as the FORCE act makes a state felony out of stealing someone else’s mail and packages – in addition to federal felonies.

WTOL reports that charges can start out as a 5th degree felony but can escalate to a 1st degree felony depending on the value of what’s stolen.

Organized retail theft is a continuing problem in the Buckeye State and its estimated that it costs businesses 2-3 billion dollars annually.

The crime usually involves perpetrators stealing large amounts of merchandise from multiple stores and reselling it for profit.

Many retailers have been forced to raise prices to offset some of the loss.