Three men accused of running a monthslong string of commercial burglaries across Miami-Dade and Broward counties are now facing felony charges after detectives say one of them struck a sheriff’s sergeant with a minivan and pinned his foot beneath its tire during a Doral takedown Monday. Investigators say the crew used cargo vans, recycling bins, a crowbar and even an electronic signal jammer to break into warehouses and haul off electronics, including roughly $200,000 worth of iPhones and Samsung phones from a single freight company.
The case centers on a burglary at Universal Freight Logistics at 1362 NW 78th Ave. on August 11, where surveillance video showed an older-model white Ford Econoline van pulling up around 8:32 p.m., according to WPLG Local 10. Three masked men were inside the business for roughly three minutes, removing three blue recycling bins later found to contain the stolen phones, and the break-in left more than $1,000 in damage to the building’s front door.
Surveillance Leads to a Stolen Van and a Suspicious Caravan
The investigation, which spans burglaries reported since February across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, drew in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and police departments in Doral, Medley and Sweetwater, per the station’s report. On August 26, Doral detectives began surveilling a black Dodge Caravan that circled a warehouse district for roughly two and a half hours, repeatedly stopping near loading docks and the rear of shuttered warehouses.
The next day, a 2013 Ford E-250 van valued at about $58,000 was reported stolen from Global Turbine Services at 10814 NW 33rd St. That same stolen van later turned up near the 7400 block of Northwest 54th Street, and its license plate had allegedly been swapped for another plate reported stolen, the same account notes. Investigators say the van contained a crowbar and several garbage bins when it was located.
Casing a Warehouse District Before the Arrests
On August 31, detectives observed all three suspects — identified as Reinier Bustillo-Gomez, Yoandrys Cue and Jose Solano-Montelier — allegedly casing a warehouse district near Northwest 108th Avenue and Northwest 17th Street. When Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Organized Crimes Bureau detectives and the Doral Police Department’s crime suppression team moved in, the confrontation turned physical…