Three women were arrested and charged after a stolen goods operation was uncovered at a Burlington store in Plano, Texas. The operation revealed around $20,000 worth of merchandise tied to a bigger retail theft scheme.
All three suspects were arrested on January 31, when Plano police responded to a report from Burlington’s regional organized crime manager. According to police reports, the manager had initially called the police about a group suspected of trying to tamper with theft sensors at the store.
At about 12:30 p.m., officers arrived at the Burlington location and detained the suspects: Dafeny Yanez, 34; Crystal Rivera, 34; and Gissela Fernandez Yanez, 42, after they allegedly left the store with multiple stolen items. The women, allegedly recognized by a Burlington employee from prior thefts at other locations, were immediately confronted and arrested.
Upon searching the suspects’ cars, police discovered a large stash of stolen goods, including items linked to several retailers in the area, such as Target, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Academy Sports, and Burlington itself, reported Fox 4.
The recovered items were valued at around $20,000, with police having since returned almost all of the stolen merchandise to the original stores it came from.
The three women now face multiple felony charges, including theft of property, possession of tools used in retail theft, and engaging in organized criminal activity.
To make things worse for the group, all three suspects had outstanding warrants at the time of their arrest, per Fox 4.
However, for perspective, the Plano Police Department also posted a report to X last month claiming that it had seen a “historic decrease” in crime rates.
According to the department, the overall major crime rate is 16.10 per 1,000 residents, marking the lowest level since 1993. They attribute much of the drop in crime to “proactive investigations,” advancements in technology for suspect identification, and the widespread use of surveillance cameras.