Concord Warehouse Connected To Largest Retail Bust In CA History

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — A commercial burglary probe that originated in San Mateo County culminated with the largest retail theft bust in state history.

An ongoing investigation that began in April led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of approximately $8 million in stolen merchandise, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a news release Tuesday.

Edgar Geovany Robles Morales, Isis Vasquez Villanueva, Jose Villatoro, Danny Louis Drago, and Michelle Renee Fowler were arrested and charged for allegedly buying stolen goods and reselling them for profit, the Attorney General’s Office said.

The San Mateo District Attorney’s Office filed charges against the suspects in the Superior Court of California in San Mateo County.

The suspects were charged with criminal profiteering, money laundering, conspiracy to commit a felony, possession of stolen property, and organized retail theft.

The suspects were booked into San Mateo County Jail according to the SMCSO.

The arrests were the result of a joint investigation and subsequent operation by the Division of Law Enforcement's White Collar Investigation Team, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office’s Crime Suppression Unit, the California Highway Patrol, and the San Francisco County District Attorney’s Office.

“Last Wednesday’s arrests are an example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies partner together to address serious crimes impacting our communities,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Combining our officers, investigators and resources paid off. The arrested suspects will now face judgment before a court of law.”

Authorities said the theft ring involved stolen property from burglaries and retail store thefts in the Bay Area allegedly transported, stored and sold in other countries, with the proceeds laundered back to the United States.

During a search and arrest warrant operation in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sept. 30, agents seized and recovered stolen merchandise valued at approximately $8 million from retailers such as CVS, Target, and Walgreens, and $85,000 in cash from the suspects’ residences, warehouse, and storage facilities.

The investigation stemmed from multiple commercial burglaries, auto burglaries, and residential burglaries that were occurring throughout San Mateo County.

Most of the stolen property from these burglaries were commercial retail merchandise, electronics, laptops, and cameras.

The investigation led authorities to an organization in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District that was purchasing and then selling the stolen property to suspects operating a distribution warehouse in Concord.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the San Mateo County Crime Suppression Unit by emailing Sergeant Leishman at SMCOCSU@smcgov.org, or by calling the anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700.