$700,000 in Stolen Shoes, Toys Recovered
FBI agents and sheriff’s deputies recovered more than $700,000 worth of stolen athletic shoes and toys Wednesday and arrested an Inglewood man suspected of receiving the goods, officials said.
The first major operation of a multi-agency team dubbed the “Cargo Cats” culminated with the property recovery and arrest at a warehouse at 1923 S. Hooper Ave., Deputy Dean Scoville said.
Investigators entered the Tellez Engine Cranks warehouse and found 540 cartons of Asics tennis shoes with a retail value of $650,000; 686 cartons of All-Star children’s basketball sets worth $27,000, and other property, Scoville said.
The recovered items had been reported stolen from Western Marine Container in Long Beach.
Beto Tellez, 28, was arrested without incident at the warehouse and booked at the Carson sheriff’s station on suspicion of receiving stolen goods, deputies said.
Scoville said personnel from the FBI, the Sheriff’s Department and other state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation.
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