Nearly $2M In Stolen Merchandise Seized In SoCal Organized Crime Ring Bust
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Four people were arrested and close to $2 million in merchandise stolen from dozens of Southern California stores was seized in a bust on an organized crime ring last month.
California Highway Patrol reported Monday that security with TJX Companies Inc. – the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods -- discovered that their stores across Southern California were being repeatedly hit by a group of shoplifters and contacted the CHP Border Division's Organized Retail Crime Taskforce.
Investigators traced the stolen goods to a mobile home in Midway City in Orange County.
On Aug. 31 they raided the home, where they discovered "stolen merchandise packed nearly floor to ceiling," CHP said in a news release.
CHP investigators also discovered four self-storage units linked to the home with even more stolen merchandise. All the merchandise still had the store tags in place.
The stolen merchandise was valued at a little over $1.9 million. It had been stolen from 43 different stores.
Investigators also recovered $65,000 in cash, CHP reports.
Thirty-six-year-old Jaime Mendoza, 31-year-old Maritza Guerrero both of Anaheim, along with 48-year-old Yolanda De la Rosa and 55-year-old Jaime De la Rosa, both of Midway City, were arrested.