2 arrested as police bust a shoplifting ring in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake police have busted a major shoplifting ring, recovering about $25,000 worth of stolen clothing from at least two malls along the Wasatch Front.

As many as seven people, all from Puerto Rico, were believed to be responsible. A man and a woman were arrested Friday. The search for the others continued Monday.

The break for detectives came Friday when security officers at The Gateway notified Salt Lake police about a suspicious vehicle parked in front of a store. The car was a rental from the airport and registered to a group from Puerto Rico who were scheduled to return the car the day before, said Salt Lake City police detective Jared Wihongi. Airport police were contacted and discovered the group had arranged to fly to New York the next day.

In the back seat of the car were several thousand dollars worth of clothing that still had price and security tags on them, he said. Some identification was recovered, as well as a towel from a local motel, Wihongi said.

The discovery of those items led investigators to the Econo Lodge, 715 W. North Temple, where another rental car registered to the same group was discovered.

Inside a room, detectives recovered about $25,000 in clothing from numerous stores in The Gateway and Fashion Place malls and arrested two people. Investigators believe the group was putting merchandise into specially lined bags that prevented security tags from going off, then walking out the front door, Wihongi said.

Police were trying to determine Monday if any other malls were victimized by the group. They believe the group may have been working in the area for a couple of weeks.

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