Temecula Deputies Target LA Gang Members In Booze, Meds Bust: RSO

TEMECULA, CA ? A months-long investigation by Southwest Sheriff's Station deputies into a spate of business thefts in Temecula and across the Southland resulted in the arrests this week of five Los Angeles County residents allegedly linked to a gang.

The investigation began July 23 when deputies were called to a Temecula business in the 39000 block of Winchester Road. Deputies learned multiple suspects entered the establishment after hours and stole several bottles of "high-end alcohol," according to the Riverside County Sheriff's department

Investigators pursued leads in the days and week that followed. Then on Sept. 17, they learned the same Temecula business was hit again. The same pricey booze was stolen and the suspects matched descriptions of those allegedly involved in the July heist.

Honing in, investigators discovered several other businesses throughout Riverside County and surrounding counties were burglarized within the same timeframe. On Sept. 24, the alleged thieves targeted several pharmacies across Southern California, stealing numerous bottles of medication, according to the sheriff's department.

The investigation heated up when local deputies collaborated with other law enforcement agencies and loss prevention partners across Southern California. The teams tallied the incidents for which the "organized retail crew" was responsible, the sheriff's department reported.

In total, the suspects stole over $200,000 of prescription medication and high-end alcohol, and caused over $50,000 in damages during their alleged burglary spree, according to the law enforcement agency.

Furthermore, the suspects were associated with a Los Angeles-based gang and were selling the stolen items for profit, the sheriff's department reported.

On Thursday, deputies and other law enforcement officers served search warrants in the 100 block of 91st Street in Los Angeles, the 4000 block of Nicolet Avenue in Los Angeles, and the 13000 block of South Largo Avenue in Compton.

"During the search, deputies located several items of evidentiary value connecting all suspects to the string of burglaries, including clothing, several bottles of stolen prescription medication, and high-end alcohol. There were also six firearms recovered during the operation, which included ghost guns and a firearm with an altered serial number," the sheriff's department reported.

Arrests in the case included Aaron Kincy of Los Angeles and Compton resident Corey James Christopher, both 24. The two were booked into French Valley's Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of three counts of grand theft and two counts of organized retail theft. Kincy was being held on $1 million bail; no bail was set for Christopher because he violated the terms of his state parole, according to jail records.

Compton residents Rasheed Reed and Armaun Yerger, both 23, were also tied to the burglaries, according to the sheriff's department. They were already in custody out-of-county, and additional warrants were issued for their involvement in the case, the department reported.

An additional person, 20-year-old Kamron Williams of Compton, was arrested during the investigation on suspicion of violating his parole, but there was no immediate indication from authorities that he was linked to the local heists.