Multi-Agency Force Breaks Retail and Cargo Theft Ring in Miami

A multiagency task force entered a Miami-Dade warehouse Thursday and seized a shipment of Armani clothing worth more than $10 million that had been stolen in New Jersey by cargo thieves, Miami-Dade police reported.

Six local men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the stolen merchandise, Miami-Dade police spokesman Juan DelCastillo said. Each of the six has been charged with possession of and dealing in stolen property, he said.

Arrested were Elier Sanchez-Guerrero, 30; Juan Manuel Crespo, 28; his brother, Juan Antonio Crespo, 25; Niarco Garcia, 44; Carlos Antonio Ruiz, 51; and Lazaro Coca, 36.

Although they made the arrests Wednesday, police had to wait until Thursday for a warrant to enter the warehouse at 1231 NW 93rd Ct., DelCastillo said.

In addition to the designer clothes recovered from the Somerset, N.J., warehouse theft, police also found printers stolen in Memphis and DVD players stolen from California, he said.

The New Jersey theft reportedly involved $20 million in merchandise. DelCastillo said an Armani representative was present to determine the precise value of the recovery but said some merchandise had disappeared before reaching Miami.

DelCastillo said the local suspects may be part of a larger operation. He declined to provide details.

"We believe there will be further arrests," he said. "We're not getting into further details about how we zeroed in on them."

The interstate investigation was conducted by a cargo-theft task force nicknamed Tomcat that includes the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, the Florida Highway Patrol, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.