OSHP seizes $78K in stolen merchandise in Trumbull County

WARREN — Four New Jersey residents are facing felony charges after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized seven large commercial garbage bags full of stolen merchandise, valued at an estimated $78,000, after a traffic stop this Monday on Interstate 80 in Trumbull County.

Troopers stopped a rented 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan for a following-too-closely violation, on Interstate 80, about 8:31 a.m. Criminal indicators were observed and a atrol drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle, according to a patrol report.

A probable-cause search revealed the bags of stolen clothing from brand names: Hollister, Victoria’s Secret, Banana Republic, Guess, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Express.

The driver, Javier Yanes-Orellana, 36, of Somerset, N.J., and passengers: Carmen Sanchez-Drag, 33, of Hillside, N.J., Jesus Fabian, 29, and Maria Fiorenttini, both of Elizabeth, N.J., were incarcerated in the Trumbull County Jail. All the suspects were charged with receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony, and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony. Other charges are pending.