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On February 24, 2023, members of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Border Division’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF) arrested two individuals suspected of purchasing stolen merchandise from organized retail theft crews.
In January 2023, Border Division’s ORCTF investigators supported by private sector retail theft investigators initiated a criminal investigation into an organized group of retail thieves and their “Fence.” CHP ORCTF members observed multiple suspects arriving and delivering suspected stolen property to an apartment in Anaheim, California. Additionally, investigators identified two other locations associated to the organized crew which were in Bellflower and Lynwood, California.
On February 24, 2023, search warrants were served on the three locations which resulted in the recovery of thousands of stolen retail products. The merchandise recovered consisted of clothing, shoes, purses, cologne, and perfume, some of which still had the store tags and security sensors affixed. In total, 14,018 items were recovered that total over $463,746.27.
Ultimately, the two suspects were identified as Jesus Ortiz, 48 years old of Lynwood, and Yolanda De La Rosa, 49 years old of Anaheim. Both were booked at the Orange County Jail for Section 490.4 of the Penal Code (PC), Organized Retail Theft. The case will be presented to the Orange County District Attorney’s office for filing.
The CHP’s ORCTF partners with California law enforcement agencies and private industry throughout the state to help combat organized retail theft. Since the ORCTF’s inception in 2019, the CHP has been involved in 1,470 investigations, resulting in 855 arrests, and the recovery of stolen merchandise valued at over 28 million dollars.
