CHP breaks up Bay Area cargo theft ring
The California Highway Patrol has broken an alleged six-man Bay Area cargo-theft ring suspected of stealing nearly $1.8 million worth of consumer goods.
Three Daly City men are in custody and facing numerous charges in three counties related to the ring's operations, which CHP officials said Wednesday involved numerous big rig thefts throughout the Bay Area region.
The three alleged thieves, Carlos Demartini, Carlos Iraheta and Eutimo Rodriguez, were arrested last month following a two-year investigation into the ring by the CHP. Three additional members of the alleged ring are expected to be arrested soon.
CHP officials allege that the three were part of a ring that made off with cargo containers filled with thousands of dollars worth of consumer items such as sports drinks, cooking oil, soda, seafood, rubber tires and fruit juice. The ring, according to the CHP, then sold the items to small privately owned shops in the San Francisco area for 80 cents on the dollar. The close-to-retail selling price led many of the shop owners to think they were buying discounted, not stolen goods, the CHP said.
While under CHP surveillance, the ring stole $40,000 in apple juice, $400,000 worth of wine, $185,000 worth of kitchen ranges and $145,000 worth of Nabisco products.
According to the CHP, Demartini helped steal the goods, but served as the ring's specialist in selling the goods. He allegedly used a San Francisco warehouse to store the goods, adopting the name of a well-known business to pawn the goods to retailers.
The three suspected thieves in custody are being arraigned on charges of cargo theft and possession of stolen property in San Mateo, San Francisco and Alameda counties.