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DA: Retail theft ringleader sentenced to 9 years in prison
Man would pay a fifth of the cost for stolen items and resell them online
Published
Modified
A man who bought thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise shoplifted from Albuquerque stores has been handed a nine-year prison sentence.
On Wednesday, state District Judge Britt Baca sentenced Raul Garcia, 44, after the defendant pleaded no contest to organized retail crime and racketeering charges.
After his arrest in 2024, Garcia told Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputies that he "wanted to be accountable for his actions and take responsibility for 'all of this,'" according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
Court records state that Garcia ran a retail theft scheme from July 2023 to April 2024.
“Organized retail theft is not a petty crime — it harms businesses, workers, and our community," 2nd Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman said in a news release. "Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who thinks they can get away with large-scale shoplifting operations in Bernalillo County.”
BCSO’s Organized Retail Crime Unit began investigating Garcia in July 2023 in high-dollar thefts from stores including Lululemon, Sephora, Ulta, PetSmart and TJ Maxx, the release stated.
At least $10,000 worth of items were stolen from each store, the complaint states.
Garcia recruited several people, including Marileysi Campos and a juvenile, to steal items such as perfumes and purses and Garcia would pay a fifth of the cost for the stolen goods, according to the complaint. He would sell the stolen items online.
Deputies arrested Garcia on April 15. He told authorities he used the profits to feed a gambling addiction and gifted family members some of the stolen goods.
