South Bay authorities bust organized retail theft ring, arrest 13

Authorities in the South Bay busted an organized retail theft ring earlier this month, arresting 13 suspects and recovering $150,000 worth of stolen merchandise, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.

Working closely with Home Depot, authorities recovered roughly $110,000 worth of stolen goods from the home improvement retailer, according to the sheriff's office. An additional $40,000 worth of stolen items from Target, Kohl's, Lowe's, Macy's and Sunglass Hut was also recovered.

The suspects were arrested on April 9 at two homes in San Jose, the sheriff's office said.

They were identified as 49-year-old Duc Nguyen, 54-year-old Hoan Nguyen, 53-year-old Phuoc Nguyen, 47-year-old Dat Nguyen, 28-year-old Duyen Le, 50-year-old Dat Tran, 53-year-old Lisa Butler, 51-year-old Chau Vo, 57-year-old Su Nguyen, 54-year-old Anita Nguyen, 44-year-old Hoang Luu, and 30-year-old Tu Nguyen. They were arrested on felony charges of grand theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy and organized retail theft.

"Duc Nguyen is the primary subject of our organized retail theft investigation," sheriff's office Capt. Brendan Omori said. "He’s what we refer to as the ‘fence,’ the individual that receives the stolen property and prepares it for distribution and resale."

Duc Nguyen is also one of three suspects who were arrested in connection with a San Jose kidnapping and torture case.