Businesses that buy stolen property were targeted in an undercover operation.
Police say stores that buy stolen gold and electronics drive up demand for that merchandise, which encourages thieves to burglarize homes.
They showed us just how easy it is to turn your heirlooms or electronics into cash.
An undercover police officer walked into a store in northeast
In the bag he's carrying - gold jewelry and small electronics.
“Ongoing conversation. Sounds like he's checking out our stuff,” an officer says over the police radio.
Other undercover officers watch the business, listening in on the conversation between the officer and the store owner.
“They're into the 'I don't know you, you don't know me’ conversation,” the officer says on the radio.
Police say the undercover officer in the store made it clear, the items in his bag were stolen.
After a few minutes, the officer comes out. The store bought two tablets from him.
“We had two very high end expensive tablets three or four hundred dollars each and he bought them both for 20 dollars,” said Sgt. Tim Tietjen with the Fresno Police department.
That's ten dollars per tablet.
Police move in, shut down the store, and arrest the owner.
Police say the stores fence the property because they can make big money off it.
“And so he's going to be able to take that profit and turn it and he's going to make six hundred dollars on that deal. And he knew that it was stolen property. And his last comment to the undercover officer was you never saw me I never saw you,” Sgt. Tietjen said.
Stores that buy gold and electronics legitimately will ask for a fingerprint and a driver’s license.
So the pawned or sold property can be traced back to the person who sold it.
Police say that Curtis Thomas, the owner of Cash ‘N Gadgets didn't do any of that.
Now he's in jail and officers seized all of the items inside the store.
Police say there are iPhones and other electronics.
They will check to see if any of the items are stolen.