APD makes arrest connected with viral theft video

Albuquerque police arrested several men in connection with a brazen shoplifting spree in which a large group of people targeted a specific Walgreens — sometimes stealing from the same store multiple times per day.

Police on Tuesday arrested three men suspected of being part of the scheme and a warrant was issued for another man. Parts of the crimes were recorded and circulated on social media last week, Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesman, said in a news release.

On Tuesday, officers arrested Nathan Castillo, 43, who faces charges of shoplifting over $500, conspiracy to commit shoplifting over $500 and criminal damage to property under $1,000. He was charged under a new law that combines the value of merchandise a person steals in some cases so that police can file felony charges.

Brian Singer, 35, was charged with shoplifting more than $250 but less than $500, according to police.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, a detective in the Albuquerque Police Department's Organized Crime Unit was investigating a string of repeating retail crimes at the Walgreens in the 8000 block of Harper NE.

Management at the store said a group was entering the store — sometimes with as many as 10 people — and stealing items including alcohol and leaving without paying, police said in the complaint.

On Tuesday, police said that Castillo and Singer entered the store with a backpack, duffle bag and blue bag. They went to the alcohol section and loaded bottles into the bags before leaving the store without paying and getting into a van, according to the complaint.

Detectives followed the van to the intersection of Wyoming and Marquette NE and when the van stopped, police confronted Singer and Castillo, according to the complaint.

Police said the pair had more than $300 of stolen alcohol on them. Management also reported that Castillo entered the store on Sunday, broke into the alcohol section and stole more than $1,400-worth of booze. He told police he would sell the alcohol to anyone who would buy it, according to the complaint.

As detectives were booking Singer and Castillo into jail, officers were called to a report of a man stealing from an Albertsons in Northeast Albuquerque. Officers tracked Joshua Peralto, 26, to an irrigation channel and arrested him on suspicion of theft charges. Police believe that Peralto was one of the men seen in videos of people walking out of a Walgreens carrying bottles of alcohol without paying.

Another person police suspect of being part of the repeated thefts, Oliver Manning, 43, has a warrant for his arrest.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced Wednesday that he would seek to have at least two of the defendants, Peralto and Castillo, detained until trial.

"This kind of conduct is so brazen, it jeopardizes the safety of the community," Bregman said in a statement. "We're grateful for these new laws. This constant retail crime must stop. New Mexicans should be allowed to go shopping without being terrified. We're going to hold the people who commit these crimes accountable."