Three Florida residents have been arrested for their involvement in what prosecutors are calling a “highly sophisticated” meat theft operation.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests that were part of a multimillion-dollar meat theft ring, which hit several Midwest states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and more.
So far, three people — all from Miami — have been arrested, and they are now facing charges, including money laundering and stolen goods. They were identified as 38-year-old Yoslany Leyva Del Sol, 37-year-old Ledier Machin Andino and 39-year-old Delvis Fuentes.
After several semi-trailers and shipments of frozen beef were stolen, authorities from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation, CBS News reports. There were a total of 45 thefts, coming out to $9 million in stolen potential revenue, the news outlet goes on.
“The investigation, led by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and HSI Omaha’s Major Crimes Task Force, determined that a Miami-based, highly sophisticated organized criminal enterprise targeted beef and pork packaging plants in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin,” ICE said in a release, CBS News reports.
