{"id":86678,"date":"2026-02-12T22:11:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/891921873"},"modified":"2026-02-12T22:11:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:11:46","slug":"six-charged-in-cargo-theft-ring-tied-to-st-lucie-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/six-charged-in-cargo-theft-ring-tied-to-st-lucie-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Six charged in cargo theft ring tied to St. Lucie County"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Six men are facing grand theft and conspiracy charges in connection with an organized cargo theft operation that authorities say targeted multiple counties, including St. Lucie, and caused an estimated $7.8 million in losses statewide.<\/p>\n

Attorney General James Uthmeier\u2019s Office of Statewide Prosecution announced charges against Alayn Espinosa Lopez, Yerrison Perez, Yasser Mederos Garcia, Alexis Suarez Hernandez, Alejandro Valdes and Arley Osmany Hernandez Relova. Investigators linked the group to at least 32 cargo theft incidents and one vessel theft across Orange, Broward, Polk, Osceola, St. Lucie and Volusia counties.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis organized criminal operation targeted Florida\u2019s supply chain and caused nearly $7.8 million in losses across our state,\u201d Uthmeier said. \u201cThanks to the coordination between the Florida Highway Patrol, the Orlando Police Department, and our Office of Statewide Prosecution, this group was identified and dismantled. Now, they\u2019ll answer for their crimes in court.\u201d<\/p>\n

The investigation began in May 2023 after reports of unattended commercial semi-trailers carrying high-value cargo being stolen in the Orlando area and other parts of the state. Stolen shipments included retail merchandise, consumer electronics, copper wire, HVAC equipment, cooking oil and food products, energy drinks, wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages.<\/p>\n

Investigators determined the defendants were part of a Major Theft Organization that targeted parked semi-trailers in commercial areas, parking lots and distribution corridors. After stealing the vehicles and cargo, members allegedly searched for and disabled GPS tracking devices before transporting the goods to South Florida to be sold to co-conspirators involved in reselling stolen property.<\/p>\n

According to the Florida Highway Patrol Cargo Theft Unit, the organization is believed to be responsible for the theft of about 51 commercial motor vehicles and 28 cargo shipments between May 2023 and March 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case highlights the strength of Florida\u2019s law enforcement partnerships and our shared commitment to protecting Florida\u2019s communities and economy,\u201d said Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner. \u201cThe Florida Highway Patrol will continue to work closely with the Attorney General\u2019s Office and our local partners to ensure that organized theft rings are identified, dismantled, and held fully accountable under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Gary Howze credited multiple agencies for their roles in the investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe men and women of the Florida Highway Patrol showed exceptional commitment throughout this investigation,\u201d Howze said. \u201cI commend the Florida Highway Patrol\u2019s Cargo Theft Task Force for their close coordination with the Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff, Ocoee Police Department, St. Cloud Police Department, Polk County Sheriff, St. Lucie County Sheriff, Miami Dade Sheriff, and Daytona Beach Police Department. Their combined efforts were critical to identifying and dismantling this theft ring. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Orlando Office of Statewide Prosecution, whose work will help ensure these individuals are brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said the investigation underscores the importance of interagency cooperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis operation demonstrates what\u2019s possible when agencies work together to hold criminal organizations accountable,\u201d Smith said. \u201cOrganized cargo theft is not a victimless crime \u2014 it drives up costs for businesses and consumers alike. The Orlando Police Department is proud of its detectives, who played a key role in initiating this investigation and is thankful for our partners at FHP and the Attorney General\u2019s office of statewide prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n

The case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol, the Orlando Police Department and the Office of Statewide Prosecution. All six defendants have been arrested and are currently in custody. Authorities said the defendants face a combined maximum penalty of 300 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.<\/p>\n

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… connection with an organized cargo<\/span> theft operation that authorities … After stealing the vehicles and cargo<\/span>, members allegedly searched for … motor vehicles and 28 cargo<\/span> shipments between May 2023 … ,\u00e2\u0080\u009d Smith said. \u00e2\u0080\u009cOrganized cargo<\/span> theft is not a victimless …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86678\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}