{"id":87982,"date":"2026-02-13T23:12:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T02:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/892259021"},"modified":"2026-02-13T23:12:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T02:12:50","slug":"florida-authorities-dismantle-cargo-theft-operation-that-caused-7-8m-in-losses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/florida-authorities-dismantle-cargo-theft-operation-that-caused-7-8m-in-losses\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida authorities dismantle cargo-theft operation that caused $7.8M in losses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 Six people are now facing grand-theft charges related to an organized cargo-theft operation for at least 32 cargo-theft incidents and a vessel theft across Orange, Osceola, Volusia, Broward, Polk and St. Lucie counties. <\/p>\n

Attorney General James Uthmeier\u2019s Office of Statewide Prosecution filed charges against Alayn Espinosa Lopez, Yerrison Perez, Yasser Mederos Garcia, Alexis Suarez Hernandez, Alejandro Valdes and Arley Osmany Hernandez Relova for grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft. Uthmeier estimates losses from these crimes total nearly $7.8 million.<\/p>\n

Three of the six suspects \u2014 Perez, 30; Relova, 28; and Lopez, 33 \u2014 were booked at the Orange County Jail. Of those three, News 6 has so far only been given Perez\u2019s booking photo, with the following explanation provided by Orange County Corrections:<\/p>\n

\u201c(Perez) was booked on 1\/29\/2026 at 7:36 am and released on a $7,500 surety bond on 1\/30\/2026 at 11:25 pm,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThe other two were ICE inmates and pursuant to 8 C.F.R. subsection 236.6, we are prohibited by Federal Law from disclosing or otherwise permit to be made public the name or other information relating to ICE inmates. Under federal law, we are unable to provide information about ICE inmates.\u201d<\/p>\n

[VIDEO BELOW: AG says Florida is \u2018anti-rioting state\u2019]<\/b><\/p>\n

Garcia, 35, was arrested in Texas while Hernandez was arrested in Palm Beach, records show.<\/p>\n

Yerrison Perez (left), Alexis Suarez Hernandez (center) and Yasser Mederos Garcia (right)<\/span> (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\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

[EXCLUSIVE: <\/b>Become a News 6 Insider (it\u2019s FREE)<\/b><\/u><\/a> | PINIT! <\/b>Share your photos<\/b><\/u><\/a>]<\/b> <\/p>\n

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner emphasized the strength of law enforcement partnerships in the state.<\/p>\n

\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 he said.<\/p>\n

The investigation began in May 2023 after reports of thefts involving unattended commercial semi-trailers loaded with high-value cargo surfaced throughout the Orlando area and beyond. After this, the department connected with the state\u2019s cargo theft task force and this led to a larger inter-agency investigation.<\/p>\n

For this case, the Florida Highway Patrol\u2019s Cargo Theft Task Force coordinated with the Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Ocoee Police Department, St. Cloud Police Department, Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office, St. Lucie County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Miami Dade Sheriff\u2019s Office, Miami Gardens Police Department, Palm Beach Gardens Police Department and Daytona Beach Police Department.<\/p>\n

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith highlighted the impact of organized cargo theft.<\/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 – it drives 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

Investigators determined the defendants were part of a Major Theft Organization (MTO) targeting parked semi-trailers in commercial areas, parking lots and distribution corridors. After stealing vehicles and cargo, members of the MTO would disable GPS tracking devices to evade law enforcement, then transport the stolen property to South Florida for resale by co-conspirators.<\/p>\n

The stolen shipments included retail merchandise, consumer electronics, copper wire, HVAC equipment, cooking oil and food products, energy drinks, wine and spirits, and other alcoholic beverages. All stolen goods had entered the stream of interstate or intrastate commerce.<\/p>\n

According to the Florida Highway Patrol Cargo Theft Unit, between May 2023 and March 2025, the MTO is responsible for stealing approximately 51 commercial motor vehicles and 28 cargo shipments.<\/p>\n

All six defendants were arrested and are currently in custody to face a combined maximum penalty of 300 years in prison.<\/p>\n

Uthmeir said this called this a prime example of the state\u2019s commitment to catching criminals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message out there to people is if you are going to commit crime, I mean, first of all, you shouldn\u2019t do it anywhere, but you are an idiot if you want to commit crimes in the state of Florida. We are watching, we\u2019re going to get you. It might take us a little while. We cross our T\u2019s and dot our eyes. We do not hand out plea deals, and we prosecute to the fullest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Uthmeier ended the news conference after mentioning his office was closely monitoring the case of Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, who\u2019s accused of shooting and killing three tourists in Osceola County<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like to see the death penalty pursued, which will take a grand jury finding. So we will be watching very closely in this case. We need to set an example,\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n

[WATCH: 3 tourists shot dead in random Osceola County attack]<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… loaded with high-value cargo<\/span> surfaced throughout the Orlando … highlighted the impact of organized cargo<\/span> theft. \u00e2\u0080\u009cThis operation demonstrates … ,\u00e2\u0080\u009d Smith said. \u00e2\u0080\u009cOrganized cargo<\/span> theft is not a victimless … motor vehicles and 28 cargo<\/span> shipments. All six defendants …<\/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-87982","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\/87982","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=87982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}