KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Eight people are facing charges in Kenosha County after authorities uncovered a large retail theft operation linked to Cartel La Familia Michoacana in Mexico.

According to a news release from the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, Sept. 23, investigators began looking into the group in March 2025 after being contacted by police in Oak Brook, Ill., along with federal agencies.

Officials claim the cartel has moved stolen goods around the country for years using fake IDs, stash houses and vehicles, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually to fund drug, gun and human trafficking.

The group was seen stealing items in Pleasant Prairie on April 6, according to officials. Four days later, deputies stopped several members and found more than $21,000 in stolen merchandise from Madison. A May 6 search of a Kenosha apartment uncovered more items and led detectives to a storage unit, where another $16,000 in stolen property was also found.

In total, more than $120,000 in stolen merchandise was seized in Kenosha County. Four suspects are still in county jail. Four others bonded out but were deported to Mexico and now face warrants if they return.

Those arrested include Fausto Gonzalez-Medrano, Jose Antonio Baez-Fuerte, Jorge Alberto Villeda-Sevilla, Sharon Jazmin Villeda-Sevilla, Ana Paola Villeda-Sevilla, Manuel Perez-Sanchez, Danna Paola Gomez and Yareli Salas-Ramirez.

Sheriff David Zoerner said the case was a collaborative effort between local and federal agencies.