"The agency described the locations as collection, storage, and distribution centers for the stolen items. Five South Bay men and a man from Southern California were arrested in connection with an alleged theft operation that methodically shoplifted and stole items from Home Depot, Target, Lowe's and Sprouts and pooled the contraband at the buildings that were searched this week. An investigation launched in June reportedly determined that the stolen goods were sold online."
"SAN JOSE South Bay law enforcement officials announced they have arrested a half-dozen people and recovered more than $1 million in merchandise stolen from major regional retailers, including Home Depot and Target, as part of an organized theft outfit that trafficked the goods online. After the search warrants were served, deputies reported one house in San Jose contained more than a dozen truckloads of Home Depot merchandise occupying hallways and closets from floor to ceiling."
"In addition to finding houses in the area filled to the brim with pilfered items including power tools and various housewares, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office say they uncovered an accompanying phone and internet scam in which elderly victims were bullied into buying gift cards that the suspects used to increase their ill-gotten gains. Investigators say that was parlayed into daily hauls of upward of $10,000 in fraudulently obtained merchandise that added to the illicit stockpile."
Law enforcement served five search warrants at homes, storage units and a warehouse across San Jose and Campbell, seizing more than $1 million in suspected stolen merchandise from retailers including Home Depot, Target, Lowe's and Sprouts. The locations served as collection, storage and distribution centers for the stolen items. Six men were arrested in connection with the operation. Investigators found homes packed with truckloads of pilfered goods and determined the stolen items were sold online. The group allegedly used a phone-and-internet scam to coerce mostly elderly victims into buying gift cards, producing daily hauls up to $10,000.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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