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Pinellas Park Police Seize $200,000 In Music Equipment

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TBO.com

Published: November 6, 2008

Updated: 11/06/2008 11:53 pm

Pinellas Park police detectives working an undercover operation Thursday recovered nearly $200,000 in stolen music equipment, authorities said.

Two men have been taken into custody, Pinellas Park police Lt. Paul Andrews said in a statement. The stolen equipment was recovered from a home at 5675 89th Ave. N. on Thursday afternoon, Andrews said.

Police were contacted Monday by Justin Borden, the owner of musical instrument distributor Ashley International, who reported the theft of about $200,000 worth of merchandise, Andrews said.

The theft was discovered after a vendor that does business with Borden's company called Ashley International to complain that similar equipment was being offered on Internet auction Web site eBay at lower prices, detectives said.

Ashley workers conducted an inventory and found hundreds of new products missing from a warehouse.

Detectives investigated the offerings on eBay, which led to identifying potential suspects, Andrews said. Through the Web site, undercover detectives set up a deal to buy the music equipment at a Pinellas Park home, Andrews said.

A detective brought a 30-foot cargo truck to the home and told the sellers there that he would pay $34,000 for the music equipment, authorities said. After the transaction, two people were taken into custody for questioning.

Investigators say a former employee at Ashley International may have been stealing the equipment over a period of time to sell elsewhere. Detectives say they will complete the investigation before any charges are filed.

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