The California Highway Patrol's Organized Retail Crime Task Force made a major bust last week of a fencing operation for stolen retail merchandise — the kinds of stuff taken in brazen robberies at Walgreens stores, Target, and the like.
Yes, people are fencing shit like body wash and Allegra tablets, and the CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force just busted one group of operators in Oakland and Galt, seizing a literal mountain of retail goods. From photos that CHP's Golden Gate Division posted to Facebook, we can see that the goods include over-the-counter medications, anti-fungal creams, sunblock, baby formula, deodorant, and lots of underwear and other clothing.
CHP officers executed search warrants on November 7 at locations in Oakland and Galt — a city in Sacramento County halfway between Sacramento and Stockton on I-5 — and an undisclosed number of suspects were arrested. The Oakland residence was suspected of being a center of the fencing operation, and the location in Galt, where two vehicles were seized, also appeared to be used for storage of goods.
Photos taken of the seizure included a handgun found in one of the seized vehicles.
The CHP says that the value of the goods recovered exceeded $350,000, and they also seized over $17,000 in cash.
"The successful execution of the search warrants exemplifies the effectiveness of partnerships and collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies, and the retail industry in combating and dismantling organized retail crime networks within California," the CHP said in a statement.
The identities of the suspects have not yet been released.
Related: Newsom Giving SF $17 Million to Fight Organized Retail Theft