3 arrested, $500k worth of stolen goods found inside LA home after CHP investigation

Three men were arrested in connection with what authorities are calling a organized retail theft ring that has hit several locations throughout Southern California in recent weeks. 

California Highway Patrol investigators with the department's Organized Retail Crime Taskforce served a search warrant at a hardware and plumbing supply business in Los Angeles on Monday, where they reported finding nearly $500,000 worth of stolen merchandise. 

The stolen items included water heaters, furnaces, extension ladders, five-gallon buckets on paint, tools and plumbing fixtures.

The raid came at the end of a month-long investigation into the retail theft ring that hit a number of stores like Lowe's, Harbor Freight and The Home Depot in recent weeks. 

On top of the stolen merchandise, investigators located five firearms and about $30,000, CHP said. 

Three men, 43-year-old Fernando Hernandez, 45-year-old Rogelio Ramirez Solgado and 54-year-old Jose Rivera were all arrested for their connection to the theft ring, police said.