An Oakland man is behind bars after Concord Police say he ran a fencing operation worth roughly $250,000, buying up stolen power tools, survey gear and even a forklift from a crew of juvenile burglars who spent months breaking into cars and garages across the city’s Ygnacio and Clayton Valley neighborhoods. Wullian Cordova-Cubias, 37, is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility and is accused of orchestrating an organized theft ring suspected in a string of Concord burglaries.
Investigators say the case broke open after Richmond Police arrested juvenile suspects on suspicion of a vehicle theft, an arrest that led detectives back to Cordova-Cubias as the alleged head of the fencing operation, according to The Mercury News. Concord Police reported that an organized group of juveniles committed roughly 35 burglaries between April and July, targeting homes and vehicles in the Ygnacio and Clayton Valley area. A broader tally from SFGATE put the total closer to 37 burglaries in Concord alone, with roughly 40 more break-ins spread across other cities in Contra Costa and Solano counties.
Fencing operations, as described in the case, buy stolen goods from thieves and resell them to the public rather than keeping the merchandise for personal use. On Wednesday, the Oakland Police Department, Concord Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service jointly searched Cordova-Cubias’s Oakland home, where officers found at least 500 power tools along with survey equipment, pipe inspection gear, an unregistered firearm, a stolen utility ATV and a forklift among the stolen motor vehicles recovered. Concord Police estimated the total value of everything seized at approximately $250,000.
How the Break-Ins Unfolded
According to the SFGATE report, the burglaries typically happened in the early morning hours, with thieves breaking into parked vehicles to steal garage door remote controls. Those remotes were then used to open residential garages, giving the crew access to heavy tools and equipment without ever forcing a door. Stolen vehicles were also allegedly used by the juveniles to carry out subsequent thefts, the outlet reported…