Woman gets 9-year prison sentence for storage unit thefts in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- A 40-year-old woman was sentenced to nine years in prison for burglaries as part of a global plea, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office said. She pleaded guilty to stealing from several storage units.

Victoria Cabrales pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of receiving stolen property stemming from three separate cases.

She received a three-year sentence for each case, which will run consecutively.

On Feb. 5, 2025, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office received a trespassing report at a storage facility. Deputies found Cabrales and another person at a storage unit they claimed they owned, the D.A.'s office said.

During questioning, authorities saw a blowtorch and two locks that appeared to have been cut with the torch. The D.A.'s office said Cabrales and the other person failed to show a working key to unlock the storage unit. Authorities detained them.

The storage unit's owner told authorities the pair didn't have permission to access it, officials said.

Cabrales said they broke into other storage units at a different facility a few days before and stole items, officials said. Deputies found stolen firearms, jewelry, collectibles, money, power tools and electronics.

At the time, Cabrales was wanted for receiving $16,000 in stolen coins, the D.A.'s office said. Deputies learned that in January, she had the coins and sold them to local pawn shops.

The Doña Ana County District Attorney’s Office is working to prosecute the accomplice.