Police track stolen goods to self storage facility

New Jersey state police busted two suspects who allegedly stole more than $450,000 worth of department store merchandise after tracking the goods to a storage facility, reports the Somerset Messenger-Gazette.

The two suspected thieves, Vincente Ponsoda and Konstantinos Hantsoulis, were reportedly stealing the goods from a distribution center for a major department store. Hantsoulis worked in the distribution center and handled "misdirected freight," or items that were mistakenly sent to the distribution center. Rather than send these items back, Hantsoulis arranged for Ponsoda to come pick them up and bring them to a self storage facility. Some of the goods were later sold for cash.

Police were tipped off by someone working at the distribution center, who noticed the pattern of items going missing over time. The investigation into the activity lasted nearly six months before warrants could be issued for the arrest of the suspects.

While in this case the self storage facility was being used for illegal activities, the story does demonstrate the value of storage lockers. Those who have a surplus of items that they want to keep safe should consider investing in a self storage unit.