SACRAMENTO (MJP) —
The Organized Retail Crime Task Force of the California Highway Patrol was recently instrumental in dismantling retail theft organizations in Alameda and Orange counties, an accomplishment that Governor Gavin Newsom praised. Police apprehended numerous suspects and recovered roughly $850,000 worth of stolen goods.
Across the state, our organized retail crime task team is putting an end to criminal organizations and ensuring that resellers and thieves face consequences for their actions.
The efforts of our CHP officers and other law enforcement partners to keep our communities and businesses safe are much appreciated. It is clear from these operations and arrests that we will not stand for retail theft and will do everything it takes to bring those responsible to justice.
Newsom, Governor Gavin
Retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Orange County, and Los Angeles are part of organized retail theft squads that the California Highway Patrol has set up to fight retail crime statewide.
Important organized retail crime provisions and the task force, whose authorization was set to expire in 2026, were preserved by momentous legislation that Governor Newsom signed this month, enhancing California’s retail theft and property crime laws. With 884 arrests under their belts and over $7.2 million worth of stolen goods apprehended, the task force has been busy since January.
The following operations’ outcomes were announced last week by the task force:
Bay Area business
A month after the task force began investigating a Bay Area criminal network, they located more than $450,000 worth of stolen goods at a home in Oakland and a storage facility in the same city. Individuals conspiring to erect illegal fences around pharmacies were apprehended during the operation.
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Several offenses, including conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of stolen property, and organized retail crime, were leveled against the operation’s commander upon his arrest, which the team publicized.
Orange County operation
As part of their continuing operation in southern California, the task team discovered a retail stealing ring that was organized. At an open-air market in Torrence, the task force discovered approximately $400,000 worth of stolen stuff and counterfeit items. An Inglewood man and a father-daughter combo were arrested and charged with various felony offenses.
The operation’s commander was apprehended in his Los Angeles residence, while the father-daughter pair responsible for the thefts were apprehended near Anaheim. Receiving stolen property, conspiracy, selling counterfeit merchandise, grand theft, and organized retail theft were among the numerous felony counts against the individuals.
This declaration expands upon Governor Newsom’s previous initiatives to enhance public safety in various Californian cities, such as San Francisco, Bakersfield, and Oakland. Since 2019, California has allocated $1.1 billion to combat crime, assist local governments in hiring additional police, and enhance public safety.
Statewide special operations to combat crime and enhance public safety, a 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime each year, and the state’s largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime were all announced by the governor in 2023 as part of the Real Public Safety Plan.
