Miami Police Department’s Environmental Crimes Unit launched an investigation after receiving an anonymous tip with photo
NEED TO KNOW
- Two men were arrested for dumping cooking grease into a Miami storm drain
- An anonymous tip and a photo led to an environmental crime investigation
- Grease pollution can harm wildlife, water quality, and local ecosystems
Two men were arrested in Miami after police say they were caught illegally dumping food grease into a storm drain — an act that triggered an environmental crimes investigation.
According to a news release obtained by PEOPLE, authorities reported that the case began when an anonymous tip, along with a photo, was submitted to the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) on Sept. 22. The report described the image allegedly showing two men disposing of food waste near Northwest 17th Avenue and 29th Street.
Detectives with the Miami Police Department’s Environmental Crimes Unit responded to the scene, where they found one man “actively dumping waste into the drain” and another nearby matching the photo’s description, police said.
The suspects were identified as 48-year-old Roman Jaquez and 73-year-old Oscar Brooks Gago. According to a news release, Jaquez told officers that Gago had instructed him to pour the grease into the drain and said it was “a regular practice” for the restaurant where they worked. Gago reportedly admitted to directing Jaquez to get rid of the waste, but denied telling him to dump it in the storm drain…