6 arrested, nearly $200k in stolen goods recovered by LA County retail crime task force
Six people were arrested and nearly $200,000 in stolen goods were recovered during a series of operations conducted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Retail Crime Task Force last week.
In a news release shared Wednesday, LASD officials said that multiple warrants were served as part of an investigation spanning across Southern California, including in LA, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The first warrants were served on August 4 in the 700 blocks of Serrano Avenue and Alvarado Street in Los Angeles, where detectives took two suspects into custody. They were identified as Cesar Santiago, 47, and Adriana Santiago, 22. Deputies said they were arrested for "their involvement in reselling stolen retail items within the MacArthur Park area." Each was booked on suspicion of violations of organized retail theft and receiving stolen property.
"The team coordinated with representatives from retail stores Lululemon, Alo, Target, TJ Maxx and Macy's to identify stolen merchandise," the release said, noting that approximately $39,238 in stolen merchandise consisting of clothing, kitchenware, cosmetics and personal hygiene products was located.
The next day, detectives joined the Inland Empire Cargo Taskforce to execute a search warrant at a warehouse in the 2700 block of S. Eastern Avenue in Commerce, where they found approximately $150,000 in stolen teeth whitening toothpaste and 22 Edifier speakers valued at over $3,000.
"Additionally on August 5, ORCTF detectives furthered their investigation of a South American theft group crew ... who have been identified in a series of organized retail thefts in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles Counties," the release said.
Detectives said that they learned about a member of the crew from Los Angeles, 18-year-old Luis Grisales Suarez, who was arrested by Glendale Police Department officers at the Glendale Galleria. Suarez was transferred to the custody of task force detectives as he was wanted on several cases of organized retail theft, the release said. He was booked on suspicion of organized retail theft and grand theft.
On August 6, Santa Clarita-area detectives were monitoring another burglary crew "suspected of committing several residential burglaries in Walnut, Glendale, and Baldwin Park," the release said. While there, they allegedly found that the suspects were casing a neighborhood and saw them using a WiFi jammer and burglarizing a home.
Deputies arrested David Oyaga, 38, of Covina, Ivan Comas, 30, of North Hollywood, and Edson Orozco-Castillo, 32, of Santa Ana. Along with the WiFi jammer, deputies said they were found to be in possession of false license plates and burglary tools. They were each booked for burglary.
Anyone who knows more about retail or cargo theft was asked to contact LASD's retail task force at 562-946-7270.
