What started as a Thursday morning response to a break-in alarm at a Lodi pawn shop unraveled what detectives believe to be part of an international crime ring where millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry are at stake.The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said officers with the Lodi Police Department went to Lodi Pawn and Jewelry after the break-in alarm went off. At the same time the alarm was activated, detectives with the sheriff’s office were already following four people, a woman and three men. Detectives caught those four people as they were actively breaking into the pawn shop. Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the four are believed to be linked to an international crime ring because at least two of the people detained are Colombian nationals, with one of them owning a jewelry business in Colombia.Gandhi said he believes the group could be connected to other past jewelry store break-ins, including a jewelry store robbery that happened Sept. 13 in Sacramento County.Detectives believe the four people worked in coordination. Gandhi said one of the men worked as the alarm disabler, while the woman served as their business manager. Detectives had been surveying the four individuals prior to the Lodi pawn shop break-in.Due to the nature of what detectives have discovered, Gandhi said these are not simply four people who “woke up and decided to go rob a jewelry store.””This is the stuff they make movies about,” Gandhi said. “It’s pretty significant. This crew is very sophisticated … Very, very methodical, extremely planned out. Very sophisticated as far as their methods, techniques, tools and expertise.”Gandhi said detectives are now working to see just how many other crimes the group is responsible for, believing it could be statewide, as the group was seen casing other jewelry stores and traveling around in an RV during the detectives’ surveillance period. However, the value of the stolen jewelry is believed to be in the millions.Because law enforcement sprang into action quickly after the Lodi pawn shop’s alarm activation, Gandhi said no jewelry was stolen from the shop.The four people have not yet been identified. See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
LODI, Calif. —
What started as a Thursday morning response to a break-in alarm at a Lodi pawn shop unraveled what detectives believe to be part of an international crime ring where millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry are at stake.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said officers with the Lodi Police Department went to Lodi Pawn and Jewelry after the break-in alarm went off. At the same time the alarm was activated, detectives with the sheriff’s office were already following four people, a woman and three men. Detectives caught those four people as they were actively breaking into the pawn shop.
Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the four are believed to be linked to an international crime ring because at least two of the people detained are Colombian nationals, with one of them owning a jewelry business in Colombia.
Gandhi said he believes the group could be connected to other past jewelry store break-ins, including a jewelry store robbery that happened Sept. 13 in Sacramento County.
Detectives believe the four people worked in coordination. Gandhi said one of the men worked as the alarm disabler, while the woman served as their business manager. Detectives had been surveying the four individuals prior to the Lodi pawn shop break-in.
Due to the nature of what detectives have discovered, Gandhi said these are not simply four people who “woke up and decided to go rob a jewelry store.”
“This is the stuff they make movies about,” Gandhi said. “It’s pretty significant. This crew is very sophisticated … Very, very methodical, extremely planned out. Very sophisticated as far as their methods, techniques, tools and expertise.”
Gandhi said detectives are now working to see just how many other crimes the group is responsible for, believing it could be statewide, as the group was seen casing other jewelry stores and traveling around in an RV during the detectives’ surveillance period.
However, the value of the stolen jewelry is believed to be in the millions.
Because law enforcement sprang into action quickly after the Lodi pawn shop’s alarm activation, Gandhi said no jewelry was stolen from the shop.
The four people have not yet been identified.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel