3 Arrested in Crackdown on Mailbox Theft Ring : Crime: Authorities say they are closing in on more suspects behind a dramatic, widespread increase in stolen checks.

Police and postal authorities have arrested three people who are alleged to be part of a mail-theft ring responsible for a dramatic increase in thefts from residential boxes throughout Orange County.

Police said Friday that an average of 200 to 300 felony thefts have occurred each month since April involving suspects who typically steal outgoing mail from home boxes. The suspects target checks which they attempt to alter and cash, Seal Beach Detective Donald Dye said.

“Right now, it’s an epidemic,” Dye said. “It’s happening everywhere. There are people driving around looking for mail to steal.”

Thursday, a team of authorities arrested the three suspects in Huntington Beach. Held on suspicion of stealing mail and possessing stolen property were Jaime Figueroa Vasquez, 34, and Felipe Mondragon Lozano, 22.

Sandra Garcia, 21, was arrested separately on suspicion of trying to cash a stolen check. Garcia allegedly told police that she had been stealing and cashing an average of $2,000 in checks each month, Dye said.

Dye said authorities are continuing their investigation and anticipate making several more arrests.

“It is very difficult to catch and prosecute these people who are stealing the mail, because we almost have to catch them in the act,” he said. “We have at least 20 other suspects, but there might be up to 100 people involved in this. We think we only got the tip of the iceberg.”

In June, postal authorities began working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and several police departments in an effort to apprehend the thieves.

The three suspects arrested Thursday are from the same apartment complex in Stanton where police believe many ring members live.

“We think that it (theft activity) spread by word of mouth,” said Dye, who was part of the multi-department surveillance team. “One person apparently figured it out, got away with it and told others how to do it.”

Last week, Garden Grove police arrested a man who was attempting to cash a forged check that had been stolen in the mail. Since April, Irvine police have arrested seven people on mail theft-related charges.

“People usually don’t become aware that their mail was stolen until their creditor calls to tell them they are delinquent, or when they go to balance their checkbook and find that one of their checks has been altered and cashed for a larger amount,” said Allison Jauch , a Garden Grove police investigator.

Some police departments have provided local banks with brochures and flyers warning tellers to be extra cautious when cashing checks.

“Many of these forged checks are of such poor quality that no one should be accepting them,” Dye said.

Officials say that instead of leaving outgoing mail in boxes, residents should drop mail at the post office or in the blue collection boxes in their community or hand it to their mail carriers.

“If the mail is not out there, then the thieves won’t be able to get to it,” said U.S. Postal Inspector Caryl Byrd. “We are hoping that we can get back to the point where people can leave their outgoing mail in their box and know that it will be delivered.”

The maximum penalty for stealing mail is five years in prison and a $2,000 fine for each piece stolen, Byrd said.