Two men facing identity theft charges following traffic stop in Georgetown

Andrea Villar-Martinez (left), and Allan Castillo (right)

GEORGETOWN, Del. – A traffic stop in Georgetown led to the arrest of two men on Tuesday.

It started when Georgetown Police saw a vehicle that was traveling southbound on Dupont Boulevard commit a traffic violation near County Seat Highway. After stopping the vehicle, officers detected the odor of marijuana, and immediately began a search of the vehicle.

Police discovered a laptop computer and 122 SIM cards on cell phones, inside the vehicle. Through further investigation, officers learned that the occupants had cataloged personal information of numerous victims on the laptop, intending to use the information to activate the SIM cards on cell phones. Police say the suspects intended to then sell the phones containing stolen personal information on the internet.

28-year-old Allan Castillo, and 31-year-old Andrea Villar-Martinez, both of the Dominican Republic, were arrested on 16 counts of identity theft, 16 counts of conspiracy 2nd degree, and possession of marijuana. Both were arraigned and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $64,500 cash bail.