Four people suspected of carrying out a series of jewelry store burglaries in Sacramento and Lodi as part of an alleged Colombian theft ring have been formally arraigned on felony charges, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
District Attorney Ron Freitas said the defendants each face three counts of second-degree burglary in connection with the attempted October burglary at Lodi Pawn & Jewelry and a September break-in at Alba Jewelry in Sacramento.
The defendants have since been identified as Sandro Fabian Torres-Morales, Orlando Goyeneche-Sanchez, Miguel Alejandro Osorio-Castaneda and Melany Dayan Pascagaza-Correa. After their arrests following the Lodi burglary, law enforcement officials said all were Colombian nationals and that Torres-Morales owned a business in Colombia, “which likely has ties to cartels and organized criminal enterprises.”
Authorities say all four suspects were involved in the burglary of Alba Jewelry, where thieves stole an estimated $1.5 million in merchandise after accessing the business through a drilled hole.
Detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office had been monitoring the group since that burglary, which they linked to additional thefts throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
Their investigation ultimately led deputies to Lodi in October, where authorities responded to a break-in at Lodi Pawn & Jewelry. Two suspects were arrested inside the store, a third was apprehended while fleeing, and the fourth was found monitoring the operation from an RV at the Flag City RV Resort, according to the district attorney.
Inside the RV and at the scene, deputies recovered burglary tools including a signal jammer, as well as property believed to have been taken in the Sacramento theft.
Freitas said his office is taking the lead on the prosecution as part of an agreement with the Sacramento County District Attorney.
“This organized crew used sophisticated tactics to target jewelry stores across Northern California. Today we hold them accountable in San Joaquin County,” Freitas said in the announcement.
Bail for each defendant has been set at $1 million. All four suspects are scheduled to return to court on December 3.