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Authorities netted one arrest and more than $450,000 in previously stolen merchandise following a month-long investigation into an alleged retail theft ring with San Ramon ties.
The California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division announced the results of the operation last Friday following the service of search warrants and recovery of goods the prior week in collaboration with the San Ramon Police Department as part of the Organized Retail Crime Task Force.
“Both agencies have put a tremendous amount of work toward disrupting these organized retail theft operations,” San Ramon Police Chief Denton Carlson told DanvilleSanRamon on Sunday.
“Stopping the thefts we see in stores is important, but that is only part of the problem,” he said. “In many cases, that initial theft is only the beginning of the criminal enterprise. Taking our investigations to the next level and using our resources to bring these fencing operations down helps disrupt the resale process while returning the stolen merchandise to retailers.”
“I am incredibly proud of everything the San Ramon Police Department’s Organized Retail Theft Suppression Team has done to help protect retailers while also working to ensure community members have a safe and peaceful shopping experience while in San Ramon,” Carlson added.
According to the CHP, the investigation began in July on suspicions of a criminal network being behind a string of thefts targeting retailers across the Bay Area.
Investigators would conduct surveillance and identify suspects in an illegal fencing operation based out of Oakland, ultimately obtaining search warrants for a home and multiple vehicles in Oakland, according to the CHP.
Task force members and SRPD personnel executed the search warrants on Aug. 15 at the Oakland residences and two vehicles, finding and seizing “a large amount of stolen property”, according to the CHP.
During the search, investigators allege they learned that their prime suspect was leasing a storage facility in Oakland, leading to another warrant and the discovery of more stolen merchandise.
“Retail industry partners involved in the operation valued the recovered merchandise, consisting mainly of items found at drug stores, from all locations at over $450,000,” the CHP stated.
Authorities arrested 35-year-old Claudia Cruz of Oakland for her alleged role in the fencing operation. She was booked into the county jail on suspicion of organized retail crime, possession of stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime, according to the CHP.
