Two men accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise loaded into cargo trailers parked outside a Woodcrest warehouse were charged Thursday with grand theft and other offenses.
Brayan Cardenas, 27, and Eduardo Urena, 20, both of Perris, were arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
While both defendants were charged with felony theft, Cardenas alone was charged with possession of controlled substances while armed with a handgun.
The pair were slated to make a joint initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Cardenas is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, and Urena is being held on $10,000 bail — both at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Mahoney, the men came under investigation Monday morning following a theft at a property in the 20000 block of Krameria Avenue, near Barton Street, where multiple warehouses are located.
Mahoney said deputies determined trucks’ cargo trailers parked at the location had been forcibly opened and numerous items stolen, including electronics, household appliances and tools. The total loss was estimated at $75,000.
The investigation pointed to the defendants as the alleged perpetrators, and deputies served a search warrant at a property in the 1500 block of Palma Bonita Lane in Perris used by one of the men, according to Mahoney.
Along with all of the loot, “two firearms, ammunition, currency and cocaine” were seized by deputies, the sergeant said.
The men were taken into custody without incident late Monday night
Neither has documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.