Mesilla marshal seeks owners of recovered stolen property

The Mesilla Marshal’s Office (MMO) wants residents to claim items stolen in a series of burglaries in Mesilla, Las Cruces and throughout Doña Ana County and El Paso dating back to 2019 and perhaps earlier.

MMO detective and crime scene investigator Danny Garcia broke the case in January, when he took a report of a shoplifting incident at Julienne’s Jewelry Store on the Mesilla Plaza.

“I began to follow up on this case, and holy cow, it led to numerous burglaries, larcenies of stores, stolen vehicles,” he said. “Numerous commercial rented storage units were broken into, and to date, I have identified over 40 victims from all jurisdictions,” Garcia said “My investigation led to four suspects who were identified as the perpetrators of these crimes. It turned out to be a theft ring, which I dubbed as Operation Gonzales Moving and Storage.”

Garcia said Alexander Baca-Gonzales, 41, of Las Cruces, was identified as the ringleader. Baca-Gonzales has been charged with theft and other crimes in the investigation, along with other suspects, Garcia said, and more arrests are expected.

Two of the suspects, Joseph Gonzales and Sarah Brewer, “continued their crime spree in Mesilla” after bonding out of jail, Garcia said. “They took packages from porches and broke into three mailboxes, stealing mail and checks, including one check in the amount of $6,000.”

 They two were re-arrested, Garcia said, and additional stolen items were recovered from their vehicle.

With assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, Las Cruces Police Department and the New Mexico State Police SWAT team, the MMO executed search warrants last month on a mobile home, which Garcia said was used as a “stash house” and contained “stolen property from one end to the other.”

Four vehicles containing stolen property related to the thefts were found, and a home on Stern Drive was found to contain “lots and lots of stolen mail,” Garcia said.

MMO personnel had a meeting with numerous potential victims at the Mesilla Senior Community Center Feb. 25, Garcia said. Participants watched a PowerPoint photo show of recovered stolen items and participated in a walk through in the auditorium to identify stolen items.

“We did have a few victims identify their property, and we are in the process of returning the items to the owners,” Garcia said.

Anyone who thinks he or she might have been victimized can visit the MMO at 2670 Calle de Parian in Mesilla to pick up a CD with photos of stolen items. People who can prove ownership can contact Garcia at dannyg@mesillanm.gov about reclaiming property.

“I feel bad for the [people] of each jurisdiction who had their property stolen, and I am doing my best to return these items and avoid an auction after a certain time period of storing the property at our evidence section,” Garcia said.