Eleven people, including four from western Nevada, were arrested earlier this year in two recycling fraud investigations involving taking aluminum cans and plastic bottles from Nevada to California for redemption, the California state government announced Wednesday.
In one case, Marco Rodriguez-Montano, 38, of Carson City, Jose Martinez-Lozano, 49, of Fernley, Francisco Limon, 61, and Juan Valdez, 40, both of Reno, and Herlindo Samayoa, 46, and Erendida Ramirez, 58, both Sacramento were arrested on charges of conspiracy, grand theft and felony recycling Fraud.
In this case, the California Department of Justice’s Recycling Fraud Team started an investigation on May 29, 2015, after getting a tip that beverage containers from Nevada recycling centers were taken to California without the required documentation.
Agents reported they saw several loads of used loaded onto rented moving trucks in Reno and taken across state lines without passing through the Truckee agricultural inspection station checkpoint. They were taken to a Sacramento storage facility and then to a recycling center for cash redemption.
On Aug. 18, an investigation led to the arrests of Rio Linda, Calif., residents on charges of conspiracy, grand theft and felony recycling fraud: Rocio Zamora, 45, Santiago Zamora, 53, Margarita Medrano, 36, Idelfonso Salas, 36, and Ulises Adame, 28.
This case started in December 2015 when the Recycling Fraud Team saw observed Rocio and Santiago Zamora loading used beverage containers into a rental truck in Reno and followed it as it went into California and avoided the agricultural inspection station checkpoint in Truckee. They later redeemed the items in Rio Linda and Sacramento, CalRecycle said in a statement.
Further surveillance showed similar activity and additional storage lockers in Yuba City and Rio Linda. Authorities served search warrants on Aug. 18 at the Zamoras’ home and a self-storage unit. They also seized an assault rifle, two handguns, and a semi-automatic .22-caliber rifle. They found 1,520 pounds of aluminum and 840 pounds of plastic used beverage containers with a potential redemption value of $3,386.
