by F. Scott Faulkner
September 28, 2026 – Ventura County, CA
Four men were arrested in what officials are calling an “organized crime ring” and found $16,000 in stolen perfume.
On September 24, an employee at the Ulta Beauty store in the Camarillo Premium Outlets called Ventura County Sheriffs Dispatch Center reported that two known shoplifters were inside the business and possibly stealing merchandise.
VCSD patrol units responded to the scene, but the suspects had left before they arrived. According to VCSD spokesman Sgt. Todd Welty, “follow-up investigation determined that high-end fragrances had been taken from the store.” Deputies also connected the same suspects to several previous thefts from other Ulta Beauty locations across the county.
Detectives with the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force employed various technical tools, including Automated License Plate Readers, and within 24 hours tracked the suspected vehicle outside a Newbury Park motel.
On the afternoon of September 25, Task Force detectives and officers of the Camarillo Police Department and Thousand Oaks Police Department arrived at the motel and made contact with Luis Andris Rizo-Avila, 39, Yenisley Nunez-Guerra, 42, Onell Arian Portelles-Cera, 28, and Solangel Rodriguez-Sanchez, 29, all residents of Las Vegas.
A search led to the discovery of evidence indicating that all four suspects had conspired to commit organized retail theft, including nearly 100 bottles of men’s cologne and women’s perfume estimated to have a total value at more than $16,000.
All four suspects were transported to Ventura County Main Jail where they were booked on multiple charges of conspiracy to commit organized retail theft. Each suspect posted $20,000 bail and was released from custody.
