Redmond police link home burglary suspects to international crime ring

REDMOND, Wash. — Redmond police believe two defendants busted in a home burglary in Redmond in October are linked to an organized crime ring.

The department believes the international group is responsible for multiple burglaries in Redmond and neighboring communities.

"The suspects in this case specifically are tied to a larger transnational organized crime ring that a lot of agencies on the Eastside have been tracking for a while," said Redmond Police Detective Sgt. Jesse Bollerud, "So what they're looking is for easy targets. People that they believe would have large amounts of cash, large amounts of jewelry, someone that they believe would be an easy victim."

King County Prosecutors recently charged those two suspects arrested in the October incident, 21-year-old Iustinian Iamandita and 32-year-old Florin Vaduva with residential burglary.

Iamandita was scheduled for a court hearing on Monday, but the case was continued. The Defense requested the continuance, no word on why, but the case is now rescheduled for Thursday morning in King County Superior Court.

Redmond police arrested Iamandita and Vaduva in connection with an Oct. 13th residential burglary at a home on NE 99th Way. According to court documents, the homeowners reported a burglary in progress and told police they saw two men inside their home through their home surveillance video system.

After they called the police they headed in the direction of their home. At one point the homeowners spotted the suspects fleeing in a black Kia and followed them according to court documents. The homeowners declined to be interviewed on camera, but off camera said the alert they received on their phone indicated their back door was open. They found the door had been pried open, with the door and locking mechanism damaged.

The homeowner who did not want to be identified, said she believes having a security mechanism on every door of the house alerted "was key." She said it alerted them quickly and in turn police, which eventually led to the suspect's arrests.

A short time after the couple called police, a witness near NE 88th Place and Avondale Road reported seeing three men flee from a black Kia, according to court documents. The caller told police the three suspects fled on foot, and one of them threw something into a marshland off the roadway and took off in that direction.

According to court documents, investigators recovered the couple's jewelry, including three luxury men's watches, a woman's watch, a gold necklace, a sapphire bracelet, and other pieces valued at $8,000. The couple confirmed they got all their valuables back, but believe they were targeted telling KOMO News their surveillance video revealed the suspects arrived five minutes after they pulled out of their driveway.

The homeowner said once they realized people were in their house, they remotely sounded a security alarm inside their home, which they believe scared off the suspects.

In a news release on Nov. 27, Redmond police said, "Through diligent investigations, interagency cooperation, witness reports, and video footage, Redmond detectives identified the suspects as 21-year-old Iustinian Iamandita and 32-year-old Florin Vaduva."

Sgt. Bollerud said there have been about a dozen home burglaries in Redmond this year, what he described as an uptick. Redmond police has formed a Task Force with other Eastside jurisdictions to track jewelry thefts and other related cases said Bollerud. He added he believes other jewelry thefts including muggings, where jewelry such as necklaces are pulled off a victim's neck are also linked to the same transnational organized crime ring.

Redmond police report that the investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Redmond Police Department at 425-556-2500.