$150,000 worth of stolen merchandise discovered in Southern California retail theft bust

A Southern California man was arrested after police discovered $150,000 worth of stolen merchandise during a retail theft bust.

The suspect was identified as Wendell Rios, 35, of Costa Mesa, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Detectives working an undercover operation contacted Rios on Wednesday to purchase items he listed through an online marketplace. Rios handed officers the items which were allegedly stolen, police said.

Rios was arrested at the scene. Inside his car, officers found around $54,000 worth of stolen merchandise from retail stores. Police also found counterfeit headphones.

A search warrant at Rios’ home led to the discovery of over $10,000 worth of stolen high-end products and designer fragrances, police said. Over $23,000 in cash was also located.

There were reportedly even more stolen items found in a storage unit nearby. In total, police found around $150,000 worth of stolen goods.

Photos of the bust showed the suspect had a collection of luxury fragrances from Chanel, Versace, Dior, Maison Francis Kurkdjian and more. There were also boxes of stolen Dyson Airwraps, a high-end hair-styling tool, Apple AirPods Max, and more unlisted merchandise.

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