Several Cubans from Florida were arrested for their alleged involvement in a network dedicated to the theft, sale, and purchase of car catalytic converters, which was dismantled by the Police after more than a year of investigation, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office on Thursday.
State Attorney Katherine Fernández-Rundle announced at a press conference that 13 individuals are accused of multiple charges related to the theft and reception of catalytic converters, of which 11 have been arrested and two are still at large.
"Across the country and in our community, there is an epidemic of catalytic converter theft, and the reason is very simple: it’s easy money," stated Fernández-Rundle.
Although the authorities have not specified the nationality of the accused, CiberCuba confirmed that at least five of them are Cuban.
The investigation, initiated in May 2023, revealed that Gerardo Julio Hernández Rosada, owner of the company GMCN Scrap Metals Inc. located in Medley, and his employees were purchasing stolen catalytic converters in violation of Florida laws.
In just one year, the business generated 53 million dollars, of which about 30 million were illicit profits.
Hernández Rosada is in jail and faces multiple charges, including extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, 35 charges of trafficking in stolen property, 25 charges of catalytic converter theft, 27 charges of metal purchases, and 40 charges of violation of payment methods, the prosecutor's office reported.
Four employees of GMCN Scrap Metals: Christian Hernández, Martin Ariel Chávez Moreno, Alejandro Manuel Perera Rodríguez, and Mario Mella Vaillant León - the last three being Cuban - are also behind bars, accused of several charges, including trafficking in stolen property and extortion.
Similarly, the authors of the thefts were sent to prison: Davislay González Machuat and Gabriel Gil, both Cuban; William Zayas Castilla, José Carlos Ancizar, Pedro Pablo Vera, and Adrián Pérez, all charged with stealing vehicle parts, among other crimes.
The authorities continue the search for the suspects Dayron Gómez Gaztelu and José Ángel Colón, who remain at large.
The police obtained the lead that allowed them to uncover the criminal network after the arrest of two people in Coconut Creek, in Broward County, in May 2023, who admitted to stealing catalytic converters from a hotel, according to authorities. The detainees confessed how the criminal enterprise operated.
According to his testimony, the thieves or cutters were stealing the converters and selling them to GMCN Scrap Metals Inc., where they received the merchandise from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. The business paid for the catalytic converters depending on the brand: between 200 and 300 dollars if they were from Toyota, and up to 700 dollars for one from Mitsubishi, Fernández-Rundle explained.
"The catalytic converter contains precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which are very valuable. Just the ounce of platinum can be sold for nearly 1,000 dollars, and the ounce of rhodium reaches 4,750 dollars. For reference, gold is sold for about 2,500 dollars an ounce," noted the state prosecutor at the press conference.
The operations in Medley's business were under surveillance for a period of time after the information received by the police.
"Sometimes there was a line of vehicles waiting outside the warehouse to sell the catalytic converters," Fernández-Rundle said. Hernández Rosada's company loaded the stolen parts into containers and shipped them to other states.
In 2023, insurers received 23,000 claims for converter thefts, representing a 750% increase compared to four years earlier, according to the state attorney.
The replacement of a catalyst can cost the robbery victim between 1,000 and 3,000 dollars, in addition to months of waiting.
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