According to authorities, three persons were taken into custody on Friday in relation to a gang that orchestrates retail thefts throughout Arizona.
The Tucson Police Department (TPD) has named the three suspects as Dorinta Velcu, 27, Franchesca Traila, 21, and a 16-year-old girl. Police claim that between them, they stole retail goods valued $74,363 in total.
The three were accused with organized retail theft and criminal theft. Velcu and Traila were reportedly checked into the Pima County Jail but have since bonded out, according to the officials. Following a citation, the 16-year-old was given to a family guardian.
The investigation is still underway, according to the police, and further charges are expected.
The shoplifting criminal spree in Mesa started on March 16, according to the police. The three went into Target stores mostly with the intention of stealing expensive skincare products.
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The suspects would then fill the bins with cosmetics using pilfered plastic storage bags, then cover them up with pilfered apparel. After leaving the establishment, the suspects would load the stolen goods into their car and drive to the next location to steal more things.
Twelve of these activities were reported by the police to be occurring in Tucson and the metro Phoenix area.
Target reportedly alerted the TPD on March 27 about the shoplifting trio’s many thefts in the Phoenix region. According to the Mesa Police Department, the group had already amassed over $35,000 worth of stolen goods in just two days.
The police report states that TPD was informed that the group was probably making its way from Phoenix to the Tucson region in order to carry out other thefts.
According to the police report, the suspects struck three establishments in the Tucson region before Tucson police halted their minivan and took the three people into custody.
