Pasadena Police Assist in Multi-Agency Probe That Identifies Eight Suspects in International Jewelry Theft Ring

A month-long investigation involving Pasadena police helped lead to the arrests of two suspects and the identification of six others allegedly tied to a transnational theft ring targeting jewelry and high-end clothing stores across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, Los Angeles police announced Thursday.

Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division led the investigation with assistance from Wilshire Division detectives and multiple partner agencies, including the Pasadena, Glendale, and Arcadia police departments, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Jewelers Security Alliance. The probe resulted in the arrests of Constantin Totoi, 38, and European Muntaneu, 40, according to an LAPD statement. Names are CQ, according to the LAPD.

The LAPD said a search warrant was served in connection with a grand theft incident that occurred in Rampart Division on Dec. 16, 2025. A news segment that aired the following day generated investigative leads and prompted the coordinated, multi-agency effort. As the investigation progressed, detectives identified several members of a transnational organized crime group believed to be responsible for multiple thefts targeting jewelry and retail businesses across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. The group is believed to have been active since 2016, according to the LAPD.

During the service of the search warrant, investigators recovered watches, jewelry and clothing believed to be stolen during the incidents, along with various phony identification documents, including passports. It was not immediately clear where Totoi and Muntaneu were apprehended or whether they remain in custody.

Six additional suspects remain at large: Raytan Muntaneu, 26; Acunta Muntean, 40; Anghel Bazill, 28; Ioan Markus, 30; Procotor Muntean, 25; and Retan Varga, 28.

According to a 2025 news report from Indiana cited by state police at the time, Procotor Muntean and Varga were arrested there in February 2025 after being linked to multiple thefts in Illinois and Wisconsin. Authorities recovered more than $50,000 in stolen jewelry, electronics, cash and other items from a 2023 Lincoln Navigator Muntean was driving. Police had stopped the vehicle after receiving a tip that it had been used during a theft in a Chicago suburb. An investigation revealed that Muntean, whose address was listed as Queens Village, New York, and Varga, of East Kent, Washington, were allegedly linked to a theft near Milwaukee. It was not immediately clear how either of their cases was adjudicated.

Anyone with information about the thefts or the location of the outstanding suspects was urged to contact Rampart Division Detective Jose Hidalgo at 213-713-2932. Anonymous tipsters can call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.