Late rent leads Dallas police to huge stolen cargo ring

Rebecca Lopez, WFAA 

DALLAS -- Police have busted up a multi-million dollar stolen cargo ring.

They found a warehouse full of stolen property, including everything from wigs to semi-trucks.

The owner of the unassuming property in central Dallas thought the tenants were in the granite-fabrication business, only to find out Thursday they were really dealing in stolen goods. Police have been investigating three big theft ring for more than three years.

Parker Walters runs the business next door and said he thought things seemed suspicious.

"Surprising, in hindsight now," he said. "Because that's kind of what it looked like was going on."

According to an affidavit, police found things that had been reported stolen since 2011.

Among the items they found were more than 200 French key chests, 293 quilted mirrors, 73 air conditioning units, forklifts, and semi-tractor trailers.

"There were regular people we saw there and various pick up trucks coming and going," Walters said. "I couldn't make out what really was going on there."

Police arrested Edel Cortina who, according to an arrest affidavit, police linked to the cargo ring through fingerprints they found inside the warehouse.

And this may just be the tip of the iceberg. Sources tell News 8 Dallas police - along with several other agencies - have been looking into this ring for years and believe there are more warehouses filled with stolen goods and plan to make more arrests.

While police have been investigating this cargo theft ring for years, it was the owner of the property who found the stolen items when he came to change the lock because his tenant hadn't paid the rent.