Three suspects were arrested in Tucson late last month in connection to a shoplifting spree of more than $74,000 worth of goods from Target stores across the state.
Tucson Police said in a news release that the three suspects began in Mesa. They would fill a large plastic tote with high-priced skincare items and conceal them with stolen clothing, according to the news release. They would then walk out of the store, load the merchandise into their car and travel to the next store for another round, the news release said.
Tucson Police were notified that the suspects might be traveling to Tucson. By that time the three had already visited three Tucson-area Targets and stolen more than $18,500 in goods, according to the news release.
Tucson Police anticipated the suspects would travel to the Target store at East 22nd Street and Old Spanish Trail, the news release said. In collaboration with the Target, TPD officers observed via surveillance the three females concealing more than $6,000 in cosmetics. They let the suspects leave the store and pulled them over in a traffic stop, detaining all three.
Between the Targets in Phoenix and Tucson, the suspects stole more than $74,000 worth of goods, the news release said.
Police returned the merchandise to Target
TPD identified two of the suspects as 27-year-old Dorinta Velcu and 21-year-old Franchesca Traila and a 16-year-old female. All three were charged with felony theft and organized retail theft. Velcu and Traila were transported and booked into the Pima County Jail. The 16-year-old was cited and released to a family guardian.
The investigation remains ongoing.
