Gloucester Twp. police arrest 4 in sophisticated theft ring

GLOUCESTER TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- Police in Gloucester Township, New Jersey say they have busted a sophisticated theft ring.

Authorities say the suspects were using high-tech bags to make off with expensive merchandise.

Four men nearly got away with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise stolen from high-end stores at the Gloucester Premium Outlets.

Gloucester Twp. Deputy Police Chief David Harkins explains, "They're not trying to steal to get by or to survive. They're trying to make a living out of stealing."

It started when officers on patrol at the outlet spotted a man trying to make a purchase using several credit and debit cards that were being denied.

After one of the cards finally worked, they watched the suspect go to a vehicle where they observed three other men coming and going.

Investigators say when they moved in to speak with one of the suspects, the others started to panic.

Deputy Chief Harkins says, "We spotted one of the people, who didn't know we were watching, trying to hide these credit cards, that were stolen or falsified credit cards, under mulch and dirt trying to hide them."

That's when Gloucester Township police officers swooped in and arrested four men. They are identified as Harold Del Orbe, 28, Wadys Del Orbe, 34, Socrates Ramirez, 32, and Aneruy Morena, 31 - all from the Bronx.

Inside their vehicle they found high-end clothing, jewelry, and boxes of sneakers, just to name a few.

They even found the equipment used to create the phony credit and debit cards.

Deputy Chief Harkins tells us, "They had a laptop computer and a plastic printer. They were creating gift cards, making numbers they had stolen information. We're still working on that as to how they got that information."

Harkins says these arrests are all the more gratifying because it was the first major bust made by the department's new Retail Investigation Bureau.

Harkins says, "We have all kinds of covert and overt operations that are being conducted with the partnership of our retail vendors and stores."

Those suspects are facing a string of charges, including theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy.