San Francisco Police Arrest Man With $200K In Stolen Goods
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco police have seized more than $200,000 in stolen retail goods from a home and arrested a man who they said made $500,000 annually selling stolen over-the-counter medication, personal care products and other items online.
Investigators found the stolen goods Wednesday after receiving information from business owners and searching a home in the Ingleside neighborhood, police said in a statement.
Officers identified Sergio Manuel Puga-Tenorio, 38, of San Francisco, as the main suspect in the fencing operation and arrested him after finding the goods at his house, police said.
Police said Puga-Tenorio had been selling the stolen items on an online platform and shipping them throughout the U.S. for at least three years.
A police spokesperson, Officer Robert Rueca, said he did not know whether Puga-Tenorio has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
Authorities said Puga-Tenorio had been leading the fencing operation and that there are several similar fencing operations in the city.
San Francisco has earned a reputation for widespread and brazen shoplifting. Videos that have gone viral on social media show thieves in retail and drug stores filling up trash bags with stolen goods.
Investigators are trying to determine where the items found at Puga-Tenorio's home were stolen from, police said.
He was booked into San Francisco County Jail on count of possession of stolen property, police said.