News Releases

For Immediate Release: Friday, October 25, 2024

Gaithersburg, MD – Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 5th District Special Assignment Team have arrested eight individuals connected to a series of burglaries targeting residential and commercial properties across Montgomery County, Baltimore County, and other surrounding jurisdictions. The suspects are believed to be part of a Romanian organized crime group, referred to as the "Roma crew."

On Thursday, October 24, 2024, officers from the 5th District located suspect vehicles near a residence on Essex View Drive that had been burglarized several times in recent weeks. Officers from the 4th and 6th Districts responded to assist. The suspects then traveled to a residence on Garnkirk Forest Drive in Clarksburg, where officers observed them committing another burglary.

Following the burglary, officers tracked the suspects to a WaWa store located on S. Frederick Avenue. With assistance from the Gaithersburg Police, all suspects were taken into custody without incident. Seven of the individuals were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and charged with burglary-related crimes.

Mercedesa Iordache, 50
Titina Sardaru, 57
Lorena Enache, 37
Flavius Stoican, 44
Dumitru Velcu, 29
Denisa Chiciu, 29
Anisoara Iordache, 54

One female suspect was transported to a local hospital and has not yet been identified.

This operation was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Gaithersburg Police, 5th and 6th District Community Action Teams, 5th District patrol officers, K9 Units, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th District Detective Bureaus, and 4th and 6th District Special Assignment Teams.

The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.