California law enforcement arrests 35 suspects in Sting operation

Law enforcement officials in San Bernadino County, California, have arrested 35 suspects in a retail crime investigation dubbed “Operation Smash & Grab.”

During the period of April 19 through May 2, a multi-agency collective, including investigators from the San Bernadino Sheriff’s Department (SBSD) Rancho Cucamonga Station, the Gangs and Narcotics Division, the San Bernardino County Probation Department, Homeland Security Investigations, California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the San Bernardino Police Department undertook a major investigation at the Victoria Gardens Shopping Center, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles.

The popular destination has become an increasingly popular target for retail crime gangs in recent months, with organized gangs conspiring “to commit robberies, burglaries, shelf clearings and vandalism,” according to SBSD. The department said it first noticed a marked escalation in these types of crimes last fall.

“These violent criminals are terrorizing the citizens of San Bernardino County by using intimidation tactics and a mob mentality that creates an unsafe and uncomfortable shopping environment for our residents,” SBSD said in a news release this week.

During the nearly two-week operation, investigators arrested 14 suspects on felony charges and made an additional 22 misdemeanor arrests. They also served two search warrants and recovered $17,705 worth of stolen property from the mall.

Operation Smash & Grab was officially implemented last October and targeted major retailers in the Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville and Chino Hills shopping areas, law enforcement officials said. The San Bernadino County Board of Supervisors authorized funding for these efforts, as well as county crime-fighting programs, in advance of the 2023 holiday shopping season. The goal was to “disrupt and dismantle” retail theft crews using both conventional and non- conventional research methods.

“We are working with retail loss prevention officers, which allows us to conduct operations to catch suspects in the act,” a SBSD spokesperson told Sourcing Journal. “The operations involve both undercover officers and uniformed deputies. This is a partnership that has proven effective and is a win for consumers, retailers and the public at large.”

The collaboration between plainclothes detectives and in-store loss prevention personnel has been a hallmark of the program since its inception. At its launch last year, SBSD touted efforts to monitor parking lots around heavily targeted businesses using a vehicle equipped with an automated license plate reader. The device allows law enforcement agencies to track stolen cars and root out individuals involved in ongoing criminal investigations.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office also said it is working with law enforcement to streamline the process of reviewing reports and filing cases to increase the prosecution rate for property crimes. California lawmakers have introduced legislation that would impose harsher penalties for shoplifting and related crimes, while also pushing to lower the threshold for misdemeanor charges.