Concord, California police have dismantled a teenage burglary ring responsible for nearly 80 break-ins across the Bay Area. The months-long investigation, dubbed "Teamwork Leads to Arrests in Regional Armed Burglary Series" by police, uncovered a sophisticated operation involving stolen firearms, high-speed chases, and an alleged fencing network that may have netted approximately $250,000 in stolen property.
Surveillance footage released by the Concord Police Department shows suspects breaking into parked vehicles and using stolen garage door openers to access residential garages. Once inside, the crew allegedly stole power tools, multiple firearms, and other valuables. In one particularly brazen incident captured on camera, investigators reported that suspects pointed a firearm at an interior door connecting a garage to a home, apparently waiting for a homeowner to emerge.
During the spree, the group is accused of stealing 14 firearms from a single residential garage. In total, detectives linked the suspects to 37 vehicle and residential burglaries in Concord and approximately 40 more in neighboring Contra Costa and Solano counties. The juveniles also allegedly stole multiple vehicles, which were then used in subsequent crimes.
Authorities faced challenges apprehending the suspects, who repeatedly evaded officers. In May, a traffic stop attempt for a suspected vehicle led to a high-speed chase that was eventually called off due to public safety concerns. Similar evasions occurred in June, with suspects fleeing another burglary, crashing a vehicle, and escaping on foot, though officers recovered a firearm from the scene.
The investigation gained traction in late June when Concord detectives, collaborating with the Richmond Police Department, identified four juveniles believed to be involved. One suspect was already in juvenile custody for an unrelated case, while arrest and search warrants were obtained for the remaining three.
In July, the Concord Police Department SWAT Team, with assistance from the Antioch Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Central County SWAT, and the U.S. Marshals Service, executed simultaneous warrants and apprehended the three outstanding suspects. Searches of their residences led to the recovery of two firearms stolen during the burglaries, with a third having been previously recovered by Richmond police.
Further investigation revealed an organized fencing operation. Detectives identified Wuillian Cordova-Cubias, 37, of Oakland, as the alleged buyer of the stolen property. He is accused of purchasing power tools from the juvenile suspects shortly after the burglaries occurred. A search warrant executed at Cordova-Cubias' Oakland home on August 5 uncovered what investigators believe was the hub of the operation, including an estimated $250,000 worth of suspected stolen property. Recovered items included at least 500 power tools, a stolen ATV, a stolen forklift, an unregistered firearm, and other high-value items.
Cordova-Cubias has been charged with receiving stolen property, two counts of receiving stolen motor vehicles, unlawful firearm activity, and conspiracy with juvenile co-conspirators, with sentencing enhancements filed by prosecutors. He is currently in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility and awaiting arraignment. The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office has also filed complaints against the three juvenile suspects, whose identities are being withheld due to their age and California law. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton commended the collaboration between law enforcement agencies in holding individuals accountable for organized theft offenses.