Three people are facing charges after allegedly orchestrating a targeted theft ring that drained roughly $20,000 in merchandise from Ulta Beauty stores in Albuquerque. The group allegedly utilized a coordinated tactic, striking beauty retail locations seven times over a six-week window to steal high-end perfumes and cosmetics, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
This isn’t a case of opportunistic shoplifting; it is an example of organized retail crime (ORC). By using a lookout to monitor store entrances and a team to systematically clear shelves into large tote bags, the suspects treated these retail spaces like warehouses.
The Mechanics of the Heist
According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, the trio operated with a specific division of labor. While two women entered the store to fill bags with makeup and fragrances, a man acted as the eyes and ears on the street. Surveillance footage allegedly shows this man, later identified as Ronald Martinez, entering the store before the women to act as a lookout before the group fled together.
Just five days later, on May 27, they returned to the same location, allegedly ignoring security and staff while making off with another $3,198.
By June, the operation expanded. On June 19, the group shifted targets to the Ulta Beauty at 10420 Coors Bypass NW, allegedly stealing $3,544. The audacity peaked just three days later when the women returned to that same store. Despite being recognized and told to leave by security, they allegedly disregarded the orders and stole an additional $800.
The final strikes occurred on June 24 and July 5, when Fuentes and Clavery returned to the Northeast Albuquerque location. These two visits alone allegedly accounted for a staggering $11,574 in stolen goods.
Three People Face Charges for Organized Retail Theft
The legal fallout has been staggered. Regina Clavery, 44, was arrested on October 4 after being indicted by a grand jury on counts of organized retail theft, shoplifting, and conspiracy. Brittany Fuentes, 39, was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center this past Wednesday. Ronald Martinez, 49, was released on his own recognizance on October 13.
In a pretrial detention motion filed in Clavery’s case, the court was told that the thefts frequently affected customers and staff. The motion argued that holding the defendant in custody is the only way to protect the community from further incidents.
“Over a six-week period, the defendant committed six acts of shoplifting,” states a pretrial detention motion filed in Clavery’s case in Metropolitan Court. “Many times, these events affected customers, security and staff. The only way to protect the victims and the community as a whole is to hold the defendant in custody until trial.”
Case Shows How Crime Changes in Albuquerque
As the legal process moves forward, the case shows how crime is changing in Albuquerque.
