Las Cruces police recover $8,000 in stolen merchandise, arrest a woman

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Las Cruces police and Department of Homeland Security Investigators arrested one person and recovered more than $8,000 in stolen merchandise in a recent retail crime operation.

The woman arrested was charged under New Mexico's Organized Retail Crime Act, according to a Las Cruces Police Department spokesperson. Police did not identify the woman. The investigation started in May.

"Investigators executed search warrants where merchandise, illegally taken from retail stores, had been sold or stored as part of an organized retail crime operation being run through a local business," the LCPD spokesperson explained. "The investigation is ongoing so, at this time, police will not be identifying the woman who was arrested or the business that was involved."

This arrest comes after LCPD arrested 14 people accused of retail crimes last month.

"The recovered stolen property included clothing, cleaning supplies, health and beauty supplies, hardware, electronics, general household goods and building supplies," the LCPD spokesperson explained.

The department adds that other similar investigations are currently in progress.