IRVING, Texas — Three people have been arrested in connection with an organized retail theft operation that investigators believe may be tied to multiple incidents across Irving, police said.
On April 9, 2026, an Irving police officer responded to a CVS Pharmacy in the 3400 block of West Walnut Hill Lane after receiving a Flock camera alert for a vehicle associated with organized theft activity.
According to police, the department’s Criminal Information Center (CIC) observed 38-year-old Esteban Canales working with 45-year-old Rita Rae Rodriguez and 59-year-old Gabriel Treviño in what investigators described as a coordinated theft.
Authorities said Canales and Rodriguez entered the store, where Rodriguez was later seen leaving with concealed merchandise without paying. Store management confirmed the theft totaled $884.34. Police said Canales returned to the vehicle, which Trevino was driving, and the group left the scene.
Officers later located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Based on information from investigators, officers searched the vehicle and found a backpack containing methamphetamine, a glass pipe, and a digital scale. Police said Canales admitted the items belonged to him.
All three occupants were arrested and booked into the Irving Jail.
Investigators later connected the suspects to a similar theft reported February 4, 2026, at a Walgreens at West Shady Grove Road and S. MacArthur Boulevard. In that case, an employee reported a Hispanic man filled a bag with approximately $200 in cosmetics and left without paying before getting into an older pickup truck driven by an older Hispanic man.
Police said surveillance footage and suspect descriptions led investigators to identify Canales and Treviño in that incident, noting similarities in the method used.
Canales faces charges of theft of property between $750 and $2,500, engaging in organized criminal activity, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Treviño has been charged with two counts of theft of property and engaging in organized criminal activity.
Rodriguez faces charges of theft of property between $750 and $2,500, engaging in organized criminal activity, and failure to identify as a fugitive by providing false information. Court records show that she was already out on bond following a March 4 arrest for a parole violation tied to a prior methamphetamine conviction. Her probation had been revoked earlier this year after a new arrest.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to determine whether the suspects are connected to additional thefts in Irving.
