3 Maryland suspects charged for international theft ring: police
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Federal authorities and local police nabbed three suspects, charged in connection with internationally trafficking products stolen from several Silver Spring and Bethesda retailers, especially.
Police say the products were then sold to countries as far as Honduras, raking-in over a million dollars for the suspects.
It’s an organized retail theft ring investigators say has been operating around the greater DC-area since January 2021, targeting stores like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Target and Ulta. Overall, investigators say around $270,000 worth of goods were stolen from retailers.
For shoppers, the impact of different retail theft issues has meant a number of changes, including locked-up products, more security guards, and an increased police presence.
"Not surprising but shocking I mean it just seems like this area has definitely gotten progressively worse over the years with regards to theft and just people that’s crazy," said Karen Mathura, responding to the arrest.
"The government has to care and they have to bring it down. That’s not a good thing for our society," Shakin Kamran.
Authorities announced the arrest of three suspects out of Hyattsville, Maryland last month. Sindy Paola Hernandez, Johnsie Steven Reina Hernandez and Edwin Gonzalez Rodriguez are charged with "Conspiracy to Commit Interstate Transportation of Stolen Goods." Court documents describe 38-year-old "Cindy" Sindy Paola Hernadez as the leader.
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Montgomery County Police say the case took a turn last summer. MCPD 2D Commander Amy Daum told FOX 5 that Patrol Detective Britta Thomas noticed a trend when looking into their smaller theft cases.
The thieves were specifically targeting premium skincare products, vitamins, and cold or cough medicines, according to court documents.
Federal investigators say those stealing the goods were referred to as "boosters." Police interviewed at least seven "boosters," according to court documents. One of them told police after his arrest, he sold his stolen items to "Cindy" for $3 an item. Another said did this to be able to buy drugs. Some of the "booters" were also identified in court documents as repeat offenders.
Court documents say Hernandez and the two others charged stored the stolen goods in their Hyattsville homes or storage spaces, before allegedly shipping the products off to South American countries, including Honduras.
Commander Daum told FOX 5 she’s grateful for the local federal partnership that allowed for the arrests in this case. She also spoke about more help being needed from the community – making sure customers stay vigilant and report criminal activity.
She believes it’s important the retailers make sure to report all stolen goods and community with other retailers, helping to identify any trends earlier.
"A lot of times in communities, when we’re talking about things like package thefts, individuals will hesitate to call the police because they think, ‘Oh, nobody’s going to work the case, it doesn’t really matter.’ The reality is detectives just like Detective Thomas, are trying to put those cases together and bring them to closure. So it’s very, very important if something happens, please just let us know about it. We can’t solve it all the time, but a lot of the times we can bring cases just like this one that seem very minor – ‘Oh it’s just a bottle of shampoo, into $270,000 worth of merchandise," said Capt. Daum.
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Court documents also state retail investigators were involved.
A spokesperson for CVS replied to FOX 5 in an emailed statement: "Thank you for reaching out. We are a national leader in the fight against organized retail crime (ORC). We partner with federal, state, and local law enforcement — as well as with other retailers — to identify and dismantle these criminal operations. Our ORC team has dismantled dozens of large-scale national criminal organizations and our security measures are continually reviewed to help ensure our stores remain safe environments to work, shop and fill prescriptions."