Deputies from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office have recovered approximately $400,000 in stolen Amazon merchandise and arrested two men following the execution of multiple search warrants in Modesto and Turlock.
The investigation began after about $500,000 worth of electronics was reported missing during transit from the East Coast to an Amazon facility in California. According to Detective Raj Singh, the shipment included items such as record players, Bluetooth speakers, and surround-sound systems. The theft occurred sometime after the cargo arrived in California in April.
“It’s still an active investigation,” Singh said. “We don’t know yet if the truck was broken into or if there was involvement by the trucking company, but at some point after it arrived in California and before reaching its final destination, the theft occurred.”
Authorities stated that a vendor based in the Northeast noticed months later that his products were being sold on eBay. After tracing these listings to a seller located in Stanislaus County, he contacted law enforcement in August.
Detectives worked with eBay and obtained search warrants for a residence in Turlock and two commercial properties in Modesto linked to the suspects. They recovered 25 pallets of stolen goods and arrested Ravinder Singh, 58, of Turlock, and Nepal Singh, 36, of Modesto on suspicion of possessing stolen property.
Detective Singh indicated that the size of the theft points to possible organized activity. “Your average person isn’t going to be able to coordinate taking an entire semi-truck full of cargo,” he said. “There are definitely some red flags we’re still looking into.”
Both individuals were booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center. The investigation is ongoing.
