Burglary crew pleads guilty to $2 million heist in Ventura County

Four people face more than four years in prison for a multi-million dollar heist at a Ventura County jewelry store.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office said the burglary crew stole more than $2 million in cash, jewelry and silver from 5-Star Jewelry and the adjacent coffee shop, Dr. Conkey's Candy and Coffee Shop, last May. 

Prosecutors said suspects Manuel David Ibarra, Sergio Andres Meji-Machuca, Camilo Antonio Aguliar Lara and Heidy Nickolt Trujillo all pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the burglary. They also admitted to special enhancements related to the heist, including planning out the burglary and causing more than $1 million in losses.

Ibarra and Machuca also pleaded guilty to another burglary at Simi Valley Pawn Brokers.

"This was not a crime of opportunity," District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said. "These defendants planned carefully, conducted surveillance, and used specialized tools and techniques to carry out a highly sophisticated burglary that caused enormous financial harm. Their guilty pleas ensure accountability and reflect the strength of the evidence in this case."

Investigators found that the burglary crew surveilled the jewelry store and the coffee shop several days before the heist. They returned five days later and cut through the coffee shop's roof, spray-painted a security camera and broke into the cafe's safe. 

Prosecutors said the suspects then cut a hole through a shared wall and accessed the jewelry store's safe, stealing jewelry, cash and silver. 

They will be sentenced on Feb. 20, at 9 a.m.