Six suspects have been arrested after Miami-Dade Police said they busted a dairy products theft ring responsible for more than $1 million worth of stolen items. NBC6’s Chris Hush reports
Six suspects have been arrested after Miami-Dade Police said they busted a dairy products theft ring responsible for more than $1 million worth of stolen items.
The six arrests were the result of an investigation dubbed "Operation Got Milk," Miami-Dade Police officials said Wednesday.
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According to police, the six suspects were all employees of Island Dairy, a milk distributor that worked with McArthur Dairy, a milk and dairy products company.
Since 2021, the suspects, which include delivery drivers and a dispatcher for the Island Dairy, "systematically pilfered" more than $925,000 worth of milk from McArthur Dairy, along with around $350,000 worth of crates, an arrest report said.
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Police said the suspects would manipulate the ordering system, causing extra dairy products to be loaded onto the distribution delivery trucks.
Once out for delivery, the drivers would deviate from their preassigned routes, meet with another individual, and transfer the extra dairy products to their delivery truck, police said.
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One suspect said each stolen milk carton was sold for $10, the arrest report said.
"This was an organized crime, basically, where they were working in unison to steal products from a company and obviously the person receiving those products was selling stolen goods," Miami-Dade Police Det. Luis Sierra said.
Island Dairy conducted an internal investigation that uncovered the irregularities and identified the potential suspects, police said.
They contacted police who began surveillance on the suspects, and hours later police captured the transfer of stolen dairy products on video, officials said.
The suspects were identified as: Yohanny Padron, 38; Jose Fallayera, 56; Eduardo Alvarez, 55; Osleivy Rodriguez, 36; Ihosvany Lopez, 50; and Maikel Rodriguez, 46.
They face various grand theft and organized scheme to defraud charges.
NBC6 has reached out to both companies for statements on the arrests, and was waiting to hear back.
"If you do something illegally, it's only a matter of time before you get caught," Sierra said. "Thank God, Miami-Dade Police Department has excellent officers and detectives, they did a great job all around, and these individuals were charged accordingly."
