2 Accused Of Running Retail-Theft Ring From Peninsula Home

PACIFICA, CA — Two Pacifica residents were arrested this week following a two-month investigation into an alleged, organized theft ring that operated in San Mateo County and throughout the Bay Area, according to authorities.

Rudy Obdulio Rivera, 44, and Mercy Folgars Sandoval, 42, who were under surveillance for two months, were taken into custody Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Rivera's Pacifica home on Catalina Avenue, a residence where the stolen merchandise was routinely stashed, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said.

Four additional suspects, who were not at the house when the search warrant was served, are identified and arrest warrants will be processed, officials said.

The investigation, conducted by the agency's Crime Suppression Unit, was launched after a tip was received regarding the alleged theft ring's operations, deputies said.

During the warrant search, detectives recovered from the house and vehicles approximately $40,000 in stolen retail merchandise, plus another $30,000 in suspected stolen property, that included 25 laptop computers, numerous handbags and high-end cameras and equipment, the agency said.

Rivera and Sandoval were booked into the San Mateo County Jail on felony charges for suspicion of the knowledge and undertaking of an organized retail-theft operation, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, deputies said.

Sheriff's investigators now are sorting through the stolen property, while corporate investigators from the affected retailers took their pilfered merchandise and are assisting with the case, the department said.

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