On a bustling Saturday afternoon at Camarillo Premium Outlets, a coalition of law enforcement units, including the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office - Bureau of Investigations, conducted a sting operation named "No Price Is Right." According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the operation spanned from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm and resulted in eight arrests.
The aim was straightforward: crack down on retail theft, which is a growing concern for businesses across the county. During the crackdown, nearly $6000 worth of stolen goods were retrieved, along with burglary tools and brass knuckles. Reinforcements from the Sheriff’s Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit and deputies from the Camarillo Station, running after two suspects who ran upon being confronted, managed to make the arrests quickly, reporting to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
The individuals arrested include Martin Granados and Cristian Hernandez of Newbury Park, Carlos Sanchez of Moorpark, Luis Santiago of Oxnard, Manuel Flores of Bakersfield, Santiago Barrero and Sergio Rosas of Van Nuys, and one undisclosed male juvenile from West Covina. Granados and Hernandez face charges for conspiracy to commit organized retail theft and resisting an executive officer; Granados also for possession of brass knuckles. Flores was cited for misdemeanor shoplifting, and Sanchez and Santiago for conspiracy to commit organized retail theft, among other accusations.
Further complicating the matter, Rosas and Barrero were charged with child endangerment as they committed their alleged crimes in the presence of a minor, adding to the weight of their offenses. The seven adults were booked into the Main Jail, while the juvenile was cited and released to a guardian. Rosas, burdened with an array of charges, was later released on "Pre Trial Monitoring" decided by the judge.
Initiated with the support of grant funding under the California Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program, the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force is dedicated to thwarting the estimated $10 million annual loss due to organized retail theft. Their partnership with local businesses, law enforcement, and the public stands as a united front to safeguard the community's commercial integrity.
For those besieged by organized retail theft or with relevant information, the Task Force encourages contacting their recorded line at (805) 383-8703 or the anonymous Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
