BELLINGHAM - Bellingham police have arrested an alleged bike thief accused of swiping almost $19,000 in high-end bicycles.

Last week a Bellingham man reported that a lock had been cut from his backyard shed on Grant Street and his bikes had been taken. Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young said that over the next couple of days, officers following a few leads were led to investigate an apartment in the 1500 block of G Street.

After obtaining a search warrant, police found almost all of the missing bikes inside, he said. At least one bike couldn't be accounted for.

Officers arrested two men in the apartment: Brandon Edmund Desotell, 21, and Roberto Arroyo Gonzalez, 23. Desotell was accused of first-degree trafficking in stolen property. Young said he was probably "flopping" at the apartment. Court records show Desotell has a history of prowling cars.

Gonzalez, a felon who "just happened to be there," had a loaded .380 semiautomatic handgun in his pants, Young said. He's not accused of any involvement in the thefts, but he was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm.

The tenant who lived at the apartment probably will be evicted for unrelated problems, Young said.

All of the recovered bikes were returned to the owner. The case remains under investigation.

Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.