Three indicted in theft ring
Three Cuban immigrants were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday in connection with what authorities call a major theft ring that stole drugs and high-quality merchandise from delivery vans and warehouses around the valley.
Two of the defendants — Julio De Armas Diaz, 53, and Alexis Torres Simon, 45 — were taken into custody April 8 as they were about to kidnap and rob a delivery van driver at gunpoint, according to authorities.
The third defendant, Alexander Del Valle Garcia, 41, was arrested April 12.
All three men are charged in the indictment with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, conspiracy to commit theft from an interstate shipment and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Del Valle Garcia also is charged with lying to the FBI.
“It was the purpose and object of the conspiracy to obtain designer goods and controlled substances by stealing, unlawfully taking and carrying away the items from motor trucks, trailers, vehicles, warehouses and storage facilities following shipment of the goods in interstate commerce, and to sell the goods for the financial gain of the conspirators,” the indictment said.
The three defendants, who face arraignments on May 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr., are accused of fencing the stolen goods in Las Vegas.
FBI agents made the April 8 arrests in the parking lot of Hoggard Elementary School, 950 N. Tonopah Drive, which was about 500 yards from the home of the van driver, who delivered pharmaceutical drugs.
Agents with the FBI’s Organized Crime Squad in Las Vegas had enlisted the help of a confidential informant inside the group before the arrests. Las Vegas police also participated in the investigation.
In an unsealed criminal complaint, the FBI described the organization’s method of operation, which looted hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise from the delivery vehicles and warehouses.
Members conducted surveillance at retailers around the valley to determine delivery patterns, the complaint alleges. Once a delivery truck was identified, members followed the truck to a warehouse where the merchandise was stored.
Torches were used to cut holes in metal garage-style doors to enter the warehouses and steal the goods, which were loaded into waiting vehicles, the complaint alleges.
The group, according to the complaint, also stole merchandise directly from delivery vans or trucks parked at stops on the way to warehouses.
FBI agents linked the ring to the Oct. 15 warehouse theft of $573,756 in exclusive Coach merchandise, including purses, in southeast Las Vegas, the complaint alleges.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter.
