Three Florida men from Miami were arrested for allegedly stealing millions of dollars worth of meat from packaging plants in a heist that spanned through several Midwestern states.
According to reports, in June 2021, many trailers full of frozen meats were stolen in Lancaster County, Nebraska. The reported total loss from the missing products was assessed at $1 M.
While investigating the situation, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office worked with Homeland Security Investigation, and they discovered that 45 additional pricey meat thefts happened in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
It was suspected that the thefts were being orchestrated and carried out by a highly sophisticated organized criminal enterprise,” according to Homeland Security Investigation. They suspected that the ring was based out of Miami.
The authorities turned their sights to three men that they spotted in a video who were acting suspiciously at a truck yard less than two hours before the first reports of the stolen meat. They identified the suspects and began focusing on their movement.
In the middle of September in Nebraska, the authorities used GPS to track a truck registered to one of the suspects. When they caught up with it, they saw two additional trailers following behind it. They believed the drivers were the same ones involved in the meat thefts, and that they were in the midst of looking for another score.
A warrant to search the suspects’ phones was executed, and the authorities reported that they found proof on the devices showing that the men left Florida right before the thefts began.
On October 20, the three suspects were taken into custody, and they are each facing federal charges of transportation of stolen goods, and money laundering.
It was reported that three trailers containing $550,000 of stolen meat were recovered when the men were arrested.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.