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An unusual and costly robbery landed a Cuban citizen behind bars in Florida after authorities accused him of stealing nearly $4,000 worth of high-end meat from two Publix supermarkets in Palm Coast.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred on January 5 and was captured on surveillance cameras. The suspect has been identified as Heannys O. Álvarez Reyna, a 30-year-old resident of Jacksonville.
According to ClickOrlando, at around 7:30 PM, the man entered a Publix store and carefully selected over 1,500 dollars worth of premium cuts of beef and lamb before leaving without paying.
Less than twenty minutes later, he repeated the maneuver at another nearby location, where he stole over $2,000 in pork, tenderloin, brisket, loin, chicken breast, and even personal care products.
The authorities were able to identify him thanks to the vehicle used in both robberies. Later, during the interrogation, Álvarez Reyna confessed that, after his “tour,” he went to his girlfriend's house, only to find her cooking with another man. According to the agents, that situation led him to get rid of a significant portion of the stolen meat.
County Sheriff Rick Staly seized the opportunity to underscore what he considered a premeditated crime. In statements quoted by both WFLA, he stated that it was not a case of someone trying to "stretch the budget," but rather a "calculated operation" that resulted in significant losses for the stores.
With irony, he added that although the selection of the suspect was "top-notch," the method was not, and he reminded that legal consequences do not take long to arrive.
Álvarez Reyna, identified by authorities as a Cuban national, was arrested on charges of grand theft and transferred to the county detention center.
He is being held on a $5,000 bond and also faces a detention order from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a factor that adds uncertainty to his legal situation in the United States, according to reports from WFLA.
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