A search warrant served at an Inglewood dwelling to bust a retail theft ring uncovered not solely a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} in stolen merchandise, but in addition a father-daughter duo behind a few of the crimes, authorities stated.
Final month, the California Freeway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce served a search warrant on an Inglewood dwelling the place investigators suspected stolen items had been saved earlier than being offered at Roadium Open Air Market in Torrance. When investigators searched the premises, they discovered merchandise resembling designer sneakers, purses, and perfumes offered below genuine model names.
The 41-year-old house owner, Jose Cuadra, was arrested because the suspected lead of the operation. Based on regulation enforcement, retail thieves also referred to as “boosters” had been seen getting into his dwelling to resell gadgets they’d stolen.
Cuadra was booked on suspicion of two counts of receiving stolen property, one depend of promoting counterfeit items and one depend of organizing retail theft with two or extra folks.
The investigators additionally arrested Johny Arciniegas-Cortes, 46, and his daughter, Paula Arciniegas, 28, final week. The duo is accused of stealing $10,000 in retail gadgets in a number of robberies throughout Southern California. The 2 had been booked on suspicion of two counts of grand theft, one depend of planning to commit against the law and 4 misdemeanor counts of shoplifting gadgets below $950, in response to the California Freeway Patrol.
Based on CHP public info officer Jim Bettencourt, Cuadra’s retail theft ring continues to be below investigation and there could also be extra arrests.
This wasn’t the primary time regulation enforcement officers have discovered a household on the middle of a theft ring.
In Might, Riverside County officers uncovered a distinct household retail theft operation and arrested 4 members on suspicion of stealing $7,000 of things from shops throughout Southern California.
The Organized Retail Crime Taskforce, created in 2019, is a part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to crack down on retail crime this yr. Simply final week, Newsom accredited 10 legal guidelines that tackle property theft — permitting indefinite prosecution of retail theft and rising penalties on shoplifting and the possession and sale of stolen items.
As of July, the aggressive push to curb retail theft has resulted in 717 arrests and $6.8 million recovered stolen items in what Newsom’s workplace has referred to as “a report tempo” that surpasses all earlier years.
The California Finances & Coverage Heart’s aggregated information present that property crime inched larger between 2020 and 2022, however charges of theft have decreased since then; the present crime charges are nonetheless properly under the historic peaks within the ‘80s and ‘90s.
