Members of a Romanian crime group arrested in a series of MoCo burglaries

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Eight people believed to be affiliated with a Romanian organized crime group were arrested Thursday in connection with a string of home burglaries in Montgomery County, authorities said.

According to Montgomery County police, officers located the suspects Thursday in a car near a residence on Essex View Drive. Police said the apartment had been broken into several times in recent weeks.

According to authorities, the suspects then traveled to a home on Garnkirk Forest Drive in Clarksburg, where officers observed them committing another burglary.

After the break-in, police tracked the suspects to a Wawa store on South Frederick Avenue. With the assistance of the Gaithersburg Police Department, all suspects were arrested without incident.

Seven suspects were taken to the Montgomery County Central Unit and charged with felony burglary. Those arrested were:

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

An eighth female suspect was taken to a local hospital and has not been identified, police said.

The investigation is ongoing. Police said more information would be released at a later date.