Authorities break up Southern California grocery theft ring; 2 men arrested

At least two Orange County men have been arrested in connection with a grocery store theft ring, and officials said Thursday that roughly $1 million worth of the stolen goods were found during a search at a home and a business.

The theft ring involved the people stealing goods from stores all over Southern California, the majority of which were later stored at a Midway City home where at least one of the main suspects lived, said Lt. Brandon Shipwash of the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce.

Some of the goods also were stored at a business that appeared to be an electronics repair shop in Garden Grove, where investigators believe the suspects may have resold some of the products, he said.

Various retail companies, such as Ralphs, had recognized some of the same shoplifting suspects returning to their stores and reached out to the task force in January, according to Shipwash. Investigators then began surveillance of the suspects, along with the  Midway City home and Garden Grove business, he said.

Suspects could be seen every day bringing bags of goods to either the home or business when investigators did surveillance, Shipwash said.

“There were people coming in and out constantly with bags of what appeared to be stolen goods,” he said. “From the moment they wake up, they’ll hit up to eight different stores in different areas throughout the day, bring it back here or meet up with one of the guys from the house.”

Four people were in handcuffs as investigators searched one of the units of the large, two-story duplex in the 14500 block of Hunter Lane in Midway City on Thursday morning. CHP officers brought out boxes full of stolen products, such as baby formula, skincare and beer.

Most of the goods were in the home’s garage, but Shipwash said one other room in the home was full, in addition to some boxes in the kitchen. It was possible the suspects were also selling the stolen goods out of the home and there was even a “no exchanges, no refunds” sign near the boxes in the kitchen.

“It was like stock rooms, just filled floor to ceiling with this stuff,” Shipwash said.

Dennis Au, 57, who lived at the Midway City home, was arrested in connection with the theft ring, in addition to Van Tran, 59, of Garden Grove, CHP Sgt. Jim Kelley said. Each were booked on suspicion of organized retail theft, grand theft and possession of stolen property, he said.

The two other people at the home during the raid were detained for unrelated warrants, Kelley said, but only one person was taken to jail because the probation office rescinded the warrant for the other person.

Shortly after the raid at the home, other CHP investigators raided the business at the strip mall in the 13600 block of Magnolia Street in Garden Grove. No one appeared to be inside  the business when investigators first knocked on the storefront’s door, but then used a key to enter.

The business had several signs advertising repairs for computers or phones, but electronics could not be seen from the store front. Dozens of bottles of wine were stacked and lined up against one wall of the business, with random objects including an ice chest that could be seen strewn about.

Investigators also brought out large bags of goods after several minutes of taking pictures of the scene.

Oftentimes, people will resell stolen goods on websites such as OfferUp or Craigslist, but Shipwash said it appeared items were also being sold at the store as well. It appeared that people who bought items from the store were aware of the theft ring, he said.

“That’s what you’d think and that’s what we assume,” Shipwash said. “Because you don’t see anyone coming in for computer or phone repairs.”

Shipwash said the two men arrested were the primary suspects of the operation and, while the other people in the theft ring were identified, the task force would work to determine how involved each individual was to decide how to proceed going forward.

The raid was one of the largest Shipwash said he’s seen since the task force formed in November 2019. The team was created with CHP because organized retail crime often travels across jurisdictions and counties, he said, which can make investigations more difficult for smaller, local agencies.

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