ORANGE : $100,000 in Stolen Property Recovered

Members of a newly created police unit announced Wednesday that they had seized about $100,000 worth of stolen property from a house believed to be part of a fencing network with links to Mexico.

On Tuesday, the 4-month-old street crime apprehension team arrested and booked Jaime Mejia Tenovio, 60, and Enrique Juarez, 34, on charges of receiving stolen property and possession of merchandise that has had the serial numbers removed.

Items retrieved in the raid by the five-member team included a shotgun, a generator, three stereo systems, four car phones, five bicycles, six television sets and 16 car stereo units. Police said they also found stolen credit cards and a few class rings, all containing information that they will use to find the original owners.

“We received information that (individuals living) at 18700 Center St. were involved in fencing stolen property,” said police spokesman Jim Hudson. He declined to elaborate.

The suspects received the goods “from different individuals who were stealing it (and) taking most of the stuff to Mexico,” said Detective Don Heinze.

Heinze said investigators have not yet contacted Mexican authorities because they don’t know where in Mexico the property was taken.

The merchandise, which was stolen from homes in Oxnard, Fullerton, Orange, La Habra and Santa Ana, was brought to the Center Street house by about 20 individuals, Heinze said.

“Most of the property is in really good condition,” he said. Usually, stolen property “has been beaten up. It’s old or damaged during the burglary or in transit.”

The investigation “was pretty time consuming,” he said, and it will continue as more search warrants are issued and arrests made.

“We feel confident that we have made a good arrest and we have a good case,” Heinze said.

Those who think some of the property recovered in the raid may be theirs can reach Heinze or Officer Jeff Mundt at (714) 744-7577.