Police in Simi Valley, CA, have arrested four people in connection with a $3 million jewelry-store burglary.
The suspects are “members of a sophisticated burglary crew,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a press release.
Arrested were Manuel David Ibarra, Sergio Andres Meji-Machuca, Camilo Antonio Aguliar Lara and Heidy Nickolt Trujillo. They’re each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and two counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property. They also face “special allegations of excessive loss over $3 million, and theft or damage in concert with others,” according to the release.
The break-in happened May 25 at 5-Star Jewelry and Dr. Conkey’s Candy and Coffee.
The thieves gained access to 5 Star Jewelry by cutting through the roof and crawling through the adjacent candy store, KABC reported. They cut through the wall of the store and into the safe.
The stolen items included customers’ jewelry brought in for repair. KCAL reported that the thieves “took off with every piece of gold jewelry the store had.”
“They were sophisticated and skilled professionals who used counter surveillance measures, a collapsible ladder, rope, and power tools to cut through a roof, tunnel into a wall, and breach a safe to take millions in watches, jewelry, cash and other merchandise,” Nasarenko said.
The defendants appeared in Ventura County Superior Court on June 12 for arraignment. Each pled not guilty to the charges and are currently being held on $100,000 bail.
Further details from the release:
Beginning in mid-May 2025, this group is alleged to have orchestrated a coordinated burglary conspiracy targeting 5-Star Jewelry. On May 16, one individual allegedly drove another to a Home Depot, where rope was stolen for use in the crime. On May 20, three individuals are accused of traveling in a white Volvo SUV to the shopping center containing the jewelry store and Dr. Conkey’s Candy and Coffee shop. Two of them allegedly conducted surveillance by observing the interior of the jewelry store through its front window. All three are accused of entering Dr. Conkey’s to assess the location of surveillance cameras and inspect the walls adjoining the jewelry store. One individual allegedly used a cell phone flashlight to examine the walls, while another acted as a lookout. During a conversation inside the shop, one of the suspects is accused of mimicking the use of a spray can, allegedly indicating plans to disable security measures.
On May 25, the defendants returned to the location in the same Volvo SUV, now containing a ladder and rope. One individual is accused of placing the ladder against the exterior of Dr. Conkey’s and cutting through the roof to gain entry. Once inside, a suspect allegedly spray-painted a surveillance camera and accessed the store’s safe to steal cash. The group is further accused of cutting through a shared wall to enter 5-Star Jewelry, where they allegedly broke into a safe and stole jewelry, cash, and more. The co-conspirators allegedly fled the area with the stolen property and transported it to a residence in Los Angeles County.
The defendants are scheduled to be back in Ventura County Superior Court on June 23, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. for an early disposition conference. A preliminary hearing is set for June 26.
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