Teen burglary ring linked to nearly 80 Bay Area break-ins dismantled after months-long investigation: PD
A months-long burglary spree that police say targeted roughly 80 homes and vehicles across California's Bay Area has ended with multiple teenagers and an alleged buyer of stolen goods behind bars, authorities announced this week.
The investigation, led by the Concord Police Department with help from several neighboring agencies and federal partners, connected a group of juveniles to 37 vehicle and residential burglaries in Concord and approximately 40 more in Contra Costa and Solano counties. Investigators say the group also stole multiple vehicles, which were then used to carry out additional crimes.
According to detectives, the crew operated in the predawn hours, slipping through residential neighborhoods and using stolen garage door openers to gain entry to attached garages. Surveillance footage compiled by police and titled "Teamwork Leads to Arrests in Regional Armed Burglary Series" shows suspects breaking into parked vehicles before moving on to the garages, where they allegedly made off with power tools, firearms and other valuables.
In one of the more alarming moments captured on video, investigators said the suspects pointed a firearm at the interior door connecting a garage to the home, apparently waiting to see if a resident would come out. During another burglary, the crew allegedly stole 14 firearms from a single residential garage.
The suspects proved slippery in the early months of the probe. In May, an officer spotted a possible suspect vehicle and tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, prompting a pursuit that was ultimately called off over public safety concerns. In June, officers located a different suspect vehicle but the group escaped again. Later that month, the juveniles allegedly fled another burglary scene, crashed a vehicle and ran off on foot. They evaded capture once more, though officers recovered a firearm at the scene.
The breakthrough came in late June, when Concord detectives working alongside the Richmond Police Department identified four juveniles they believed were responsible for the spree. One of them was already in juvenile hall on an unrelated case. Investigators secured arrest and search warrants for the remaining three, and in July, the Concord Police Department's SWAT team — assisted by the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments, Central County SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Service — executed simultaneous warrants and took all three into custody.
Searches of the suspects' residences turned up two firearms that had been stolen during the burglaries, police said. A third stolen firearm had previously been recovered by Richmond police in a separate investigation.
As the investigation deepened, detectives uncovered what prosecutors describe as an organized fencing operation. They identified 37-year-old Wuillian Cordova-Cubias of Oakland as the alleged buyer, accusing him of purchasing power tools from the juvenile suspects — often shortly after the burglaries took place.
On Aug. 5, detectives from Concord and Oakland police, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, executed a search warrant at Cordova-Cubias' Oakland home. Inside, they found what investigators believe was the hub of a regional fencing operation: at least 500 suspected stolen power tools, a stolen ATV, a stolen forklift, an unregistered firearm and numerous other high-value items. Authorities placed the total value of the recovered property at approximately $250,000.
Cordova-Cubias has been charged with receiving stolen property, two counts of receiving stolen motor vehicles, unlawful firearm activity and conspiracy with juvenile co-conspirators. Prosecutors have also filed sentencing enhancements that could increase any potential penalties if he is convicted. He was being held at the Martinez Detention Facility and was scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Contra Costa County Superior Court.
"As organized theft offenses have increased, my office has responded by building an effective Organized Theft Unit that works closely with law enforcement to file strong cases we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt in court," Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. "Concord Police Department's thorough investigation into these burglaries and the fencing operation reflects the kind of collaboration that holds individuals accountable."
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office has also filed complaints against the three juvenile suspects. Their identities have not been released under California law.
