Local law enforcement officials help bust nine-state crime ring

Endless rows of stolen leaf blowers, lawnmowers, nail guns, weed whackers and piles of tool belts stood on the floor of a giant warehouse in Thousand Oaks on Tuesday. The display was the result of a four-month, in-depth investigation by a network of local law enforcement agencies into commercial burglaries that have plagued business owners across the Conejo Valley.

The story behind the recovered equipment was presented by police at a news conference. The numbers were overwhelming: 9,000 hours of investigation, 23 arrests, nearly 26,000 pieces of equipment valued at $3.5 million recovered, and 215 victims from 64 cities in nine states identified so far.

Authorities believe there are many more victims, including large and small construction firms,and landscaping and equipment rental companies. Police want to return the stolen property to its rightful owners, but only about 30 percent of the items are marked with company names.

The arrests came after detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff ’s Department and the Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley police departments formed a multi-jurisdictional task force in response to ongoing thefts.

Sheriff Bob Brooks said officers realized early that the thefts weren’t random but organized. Even so, it wasn’t until further investigation that the magnitude of the criminal organization became clear.

“This was not the typical runof-the-mill thief, but a sophisticated family-run operation that used military precision in the way they carried out burglaries,” Brooks said. “They were well-supervised teams that used mobile surveillance, and escape and recovery plans like you would have in the military.”

Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten called it the “largest burglary and fencing operation to ever hit Ventura County.”

Police said the crime ring was led by Guillermo Cazarez of Norwalk for the past three years and included members of his family. Many of the thefts were concentrated in Southern California, but fanned out to other states, including Arizona, Nevada and Colorado. More than 150 of the thefts took place in Ventura County. Police believe most of the stolen property was sold in Mexico and the rest shipped overseas.

The most recent burglary was Aug. 15 when construction equipment was stolen from Long Beach Unified School District and fenced in Ventura County. The thieves unknowingly tried to sell the stolen property to an undercover detective.

Police and business owners credited Thousand Oaks City Councilmember Jacqui Irwin with initiating the formation of a coordinated investigation that led to the arrests.

Dave Tuttle, owner of Conejo Complete Landscape in Westlake Village, appealed to the city of Thousand Oaks and to local police for help. In response to Tuttle and other business owners, Irwin formed the Commercial Burglary Task Force to raise awareness of the problem and offer solutions. Beside Irwin, the committee included peace officers, business owners and the Thousand Oaks/ Westlake Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“Jacqui Irwin deserves a lot of credit,” said Tuttle, whose own business was vandalized multiple times.

While business owners tried to protect themselves by spending thousands on replacing stolen items and installing elaborate security systems, the thieves were persistent. They covered security cameras and cut chains, bolts, wrought iron gates and wiring for lighting and alarm systems. Several firms were hit more than three times over just a few weeks.

“Small businesses are a vital part of our community,” Irwin said. “We need to do whatever we can to help them.”

Until the current crackdown, only a few leads had surfaced.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested two men in Agoura Hills about a year ago after discovering stolen computers and equipment in their van. Prior to that, a warehouse filled with $2 million worth of stolen equipment was found in Carson City, with some of the goods packed for shipping overseas. Three suspects were arrested. Several pieces of equipment belonging to local business owners were returned, including items to Russ Goodenough of Cal U-Rent on Thousand Oaks Boulevard

Through the use of basic and high-tech investigative resources, authorities got several breaks.

“We want to make sure criminals know they cannot operate freely in Thousand Oaks,” Irwin said.

To protect the recovered equipment, police kept the warehouse location secret. They urge business owners to continue taking precautions to protect their property.

For more information about the recovered equipment, call the Victim Information Line at (805) 494-8259 or visit www.vcsd.org.