OAKLAND — An investigation into an Oakland-based fencing operation recently ended in the recovery of nearly half a million dollars in stolen merchandise and the arrest of a 35-year-old woman, according to authorities.
The California Highway Patrol launched the probe in July after a string of retail thefts targeting stores across the Bay Area, the agency said in a news release Friday.
Investigators identified suspects and obtained search warrants for a home and two vehicles in Oakland.
The warrants, served Aug. 15, led to the arrest of the 35-year-old woman and the recovery of a “large amount of stolen merchandise,” the CHP said, adding that ill-gotten merchandise was also found at a storage facility the woman rented in the city.
The merchandise, which consisted mainly of items found at pharmacies, was worth more than $450,000.
The woman was booked into the Alameda County Jail on charges of organized retail crime, possession of stolen property and conspiracy to commit a felony, according to the CHP.
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