In a recent surge of Bay Area banditry, a team of thieves has hauled away more than $45,000 worth of beauty products from Ulta Beauty stores, leaving a trail of larceny that stretches across Santa Clara County and beyond. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, alongside the district attorney's office, connected three suspects to a series of thefts in the cities of Cupertino, San José, Sunnyvale, and Campbell, as well as heists at Target and The Home Depot that spanned from Placer County to Monterey County.
The break in the case came when authorities, scouring the San Jose residence linked to the thefts, stumbled upon not just stolen cosmetics, perfumes, sunglasses, clothing, and tools, but also incriminating remnants of illicit drug activity, including suspected ecstasy powder and pills, drug paraphernalia, packaging materials, and digital scales. According to a social media post from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, the overall value of the recovered property exceeded $10,000, including nearly $1,500 in cash.
Among those apprehended are 25-year-old Nicholas Beltran, previously convicted of burglary and now facing numerous counts of grand theft and organized retail theft; and 19-year-old Maria Figueroa, charged with several counts of organized retail theft. However, the sheriff's office has sounded the alarm that one suspect is yet to be accounted for.
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