Six people were detained in connection with a string of Riverside County train burglaries that resulted in the theft of approximately $200,000 in merchandise.
The crimes targeted cargo trains in numerous towns, and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies tried to find the sites where the stolen goods were stored.
The suspects were identified as:
- Renato Compean Briones, 29, of Indio.
- Carla Virginia Urias Herrera, 39, of Indio
- Jesus Ivan Castillo Ruiz, 28, of Thermal.
- Juan Pablo Ortega Hernandez (38), from Mecca
- Deette Nadine Amezquita Luna, 36, from Mecca.
- Bernardo Acosta, 39, from Mecca.
The months-long investigation began on August 2 with deputies responding to a train burglary between Hammond Road and 68th Avenue in unincorporated Mecca.
Several things removed from the cargo trains were discovered, but the suspects had already departed the site.
In the coming weeks, investigators sought to locate several places where the huge number of stolen goods were thought to be stored.
On November 6, a search warrant was served at a residence and storage facility in Indio’s 82200 block of Santa Rosa Avenue. Over $80,000 in stolen items was recovered on the site. Brinoes and Herrera were apprehended at the site.
Another search warrant was executed at a house in the 88800 block of 62nd Avenue in Thermal, where over $12,000 in stolen items were discovered. One suspect, Castillo Ruiz, was arrested.
A search warrant was served on a property in the 65100 block of Calle Sor Juana in Mecca’s unincorporated hamlet, as well as a storage facility in Coachella’s 53300 block of Highway 111, on November 21. More than $76,000 in items was discovered from the apartment and storage unit. Two suspects, Hernandez and Luna, were apprehended.
The next day, Nov. 22, Thermal Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to a rail burglary at Hammond Road in Mecca. They discovered many open train containers with missing items, as well as a vehicle parked nearby, but no suspect was identified.
On December 4, a search warrant was executed at a storage unit in the 53300 block of Highway 111 in Coachella, where more than $26,000 in stolen goods were discovered. On December 10, the connected suspect, Acosta, was apprehended.
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In total, approximately $194,000 worth of stolen products was recovered. The suspects will face some charges, including burglary, possession of stolen items, violation of probation, possession of burglary equipment, grand theft, and conspiracy.
The sequence of thefts is still under investigation. Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact Deputies Hernandez and Padilla at the Thermal Sheriff’s Station, at 760-863-8990.