A police operation recovered more than half a million dollars in electronics, much of it stolen, from a cell phone store on Chicago’s West Side, police said Friday.
Headphones, FitBits, cellphones, speakers—and even two guns—were recovered from ABC Choice cellphone store.
“In this business here, we discovered evidence they were fencing, conducting a large scale fencing operation,” said Chicago Police Cmdr. Karen Konow. “They were trafficking in counterfeit merchandise. We have recovered over 100 smartphones we believe to have been stolen.”
The months-long investigation, “Operation Hot Corner,” resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Mohammad Hejaz, of Burbank, and 27-year-old Bakr Shahen, of Oak Lawn.
“It was pretty blatant, there was other activity, selling loosies (individual cigarettes) and other things that undermines the retail, the retailers who are on this block legally,” said Sgt. Nelson Perez.
Now the buildings department has shut the business down.
“This location had reduced means of egress which were impacting the means of egress in the rear and creating obstructions for the businesses, as well as dangerous and hazardous electrical,” said Marlene Hopkins of the city’s building department.
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The building department checked out other neighboring businesses in the same complex and shut some of them down for violations as well. Some residents around the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Pulaski say that is not fair.
“We definitely need these stores,” neighbor Samuel Johnson said.
Willy Hix, also a neighborhood resident, told NBC5 “I just want quality merchandise for my money.”
But police say the cell phone store was contributing to neighborhood violence and encouraging thieves to steal phones that they could fence through the store.
“We know that stolen smartphones is a motivating factor in numerous robberies that have been happening as well and a driver of violence,” Konow said.
