Biggest Theft Ring Bust In Grundy Co? 4 California Men Arrested

MORRIS — The Grundy County Sheriff's Office issued a press release to Joliet Patch revealing that four men who all come from California are now in the jail in connection with the theft of at least $500,000 in stolen property.

Suspect Information:

• Efrain Leal-Lopez 07/25/1982 Hilmor, CA
• Jose S. Herrera 09/01/1982 Los Angeles, CA
• Zoser A. Torres-Angulo 12/08/1998 Monterey Park, CA
• Rene S. Turcios 01/29/1993 Victorville, CA

According to Grundy County authorities:

Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, members of the Grundy County Sheriffs Office Pro-Active Unit saw six vehicles bearing California registration, all appearing to be traveling together at the T/A Travel Center in Morris, one of which was a U-Haul 26-foot van.

A Flock license plate reader inquiry on the vehicles produced data representing suspicious activity.

Four of the vehicles left the travel center and traveled South on Route 47 and entered onto westbound Interstate 80. All four of the vehicles failed to obey the red traffic light at the intersection when turning onto the entrance ramp.

All the vehicles were pulled over for the traffic infraction by Grundy County deputies.

Deputies who had stopped the U-Haul van learned that the driver had picked up a load of boxes in New Jersey and was taking them to California. Probable cause was established to search the van, and when the rear cargo door to the van was opened, several cardboard boxes were seen to be inside.

The boxes contained new Apple iPads and RIG Wireless headphones for XBOX gaming systems still in their original packaging. The driver was unable to produce a Bill of Lading for the products. Due to suspected criminal activity, the U-Haul van was relocated to the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation. Both occupants of the U-Haul were also taken to the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office for questioning.

A Kia mini-van had also been stopped by deputies and it was determined that the two occupants in the mini-van were acquaintances of the occupants of the U-Haul. A consent search of the Kia resulted in 64 grams of cannabis and a small amount of cocaine being found. The two occupants of the Kia were taken into custody and transported to the Grundy County Jail.

Deputies conducted an inventory search of the boxes located within the U-Haul in which 878 iPads and 2,202 sets of wireless headphones were accounted for.

The approximate value of the iPads was valued at between $260,000 and $350,000 The approximate value of the wireless headphones is $220,000.

Deputies determined that the iPads had been purchased from Apple by Amazon.

A representative of Amazon was contacted and provided with purchase order numbers of the iPads. It was then learned that the iPads were stolen from a cargo theft in the State of New Jersey. Further investigation into the wireless headphones determined that they were also stolen from a cargo theft in the State of Kentucky.

After questioning of the suspects, admissions were obtained to the cargo thefts that took place in New Jersey and Kentucky. The four occupants of the U-Haul and Kia were placed under arrest and held in the Grundy County Jail on charges of Possession of Stolen Property with a Value over $500,000 pending a pre-trial release hearing.

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security.