( KRON ) — Twelve people were arrested for their suspected participation in a mail theft and fraud ring last week, the Santa Clara Police Department said.
The suspects were spread out between the South Bay and East Bay, but SCPD said the ring operated out of apartments in Santa Clara County. Police recovered drugs, body armor and other illicit items when serving search warrants.
SCPD was first alerted to the situation on Aug. 5, when officers were called to the 1900 block of Hillebrant Place in Santa Clara just after 4 a.m. for a mail theft investigation. Police obtained security footage that showed a suspect driving away in a black Lexus.
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Multiple law enforcement units collaborated on an investigation, which showed that the suspect was connected to a “major fraud ring specializing in mail theft,” police said. It worked out of what SCPD described as “two fraudulently rented apartments.”
SCPD served search warrants in Santa Clara and San Jose at 8 a.m. on Aug. 14. Nine suspects were arrested in San Jose and three more were taken into custody at the 550 Moreland Apartments in Santa Clara. SCPD identified all 12 suspects: