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3 Queens men arrested in New Hampshire for stealing more than $7,000 in merchandise

LACONIA
Photo courtesy of Laconia Police Department

Three men from Queens were picked up in New Hampshire earlier this week for allegedly hoarding thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise and marijuana, according to a news report.

Arturo Fabian Pineda-Otero, 30, of Flushing, Roger Bustos-Perez, 28, of Elmhurst, and Hernan Avendano-Martinez, 29, of Corona, were pulled over by police for a “minor vehicle violation”on April 4 at about 8:45 p.m. in Laconia, N.H., according to the Laconia Police Department.

The car, which had South Carolina registration, was being driven by Pineda-Otero who had a suspended license. Pineda-Otero was taken into custody for the license and when he was searched, police found “several bags of vegetative matter consistent with marijuana” in his pockets.

Bustos-Perez and Avendano-Martinez told police they had no license so the vehicle was towed. When police inspected the car they found a shopping bag under the front passenger seat covered in duct tape and aluminum foil. It resembled bags used to shield manufacturing retail security devices, police said.

After receiving a warrant, police found several bags in the trunk filled with clothing, cologne and perfume with retail tags still attached to them. The trunk also contained tools used to remove anti-theft devices. In total, the merchandise was worth about $7,500.

Police said Bustos-Perez had an ankle bracelet monitoring device on him and told officers he was on bail out of Fairfax County, V.A on an unknown charge. Avendano-Martinez told officers a similar story.

Laconia police contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement who determined that Bustos-Perez and Avendano-Martinez were in the country illegally from Colombia.

The three men were charged with organized retail crime enterprise and Pineda-Otero was additionally charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a theft detection shielding device.