Police recover $140,000 in merchandise from retail theft ring

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday released details on a retail theft ring that has stolen more than $140,000 worth of merchandise from stores in the area -- much of it in Menifee.

According to a news release, members of the Menifee Special Enforcement Team conducted a vehicle check of a Toyota sedan parked in a retail parking lot at Scott Road and Antelope Road about 7 p.m. on April 25. The car was reported stolen out of Arizona. Officers discovered several thousand dollars of retail merchandise inside the car, reportedly stolen in Menifee, Murrieta and Perris.

Evidence in the investigation indicated that the merchandise was to be sold to a buyer in Escondido. On April 26 about 5:30 p.m., Menifee and Perris Special Enforcement Team officers served a search warrant at a residence in the 1100 block of Kern Place in Escondido. They found truckloads of merchandise stolen from retailers all over Southern California.

Retail fraud investigators from Albertsons, Vons, Stater Bros., Target and Walmart assisted in the investigation by identifying the merchandise. The value of the recovered merchandise alone was over $140,000.

According to authorities, 43-year-old Ahed Ribhe Ihmud of Escondido directed others to steal merchandise, which he sold online and at swap meets. A criminal case will be submitted to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office for prosecution against Ihmud.