Two men, at least one of whom is of Cuban descent, were arrested in Miami-Dade after being linked to a kidnapping and armed robbery that began as an apparent sale of iPhones through Facebook Marketplace in Doral, according to local news.
The arrested individuals are Lázaro Núñez Martínez, a 31-year-old Cuban; and Darián Ernesto Morejón Rodríguez, 39 years old, whose nationality of origin has not been disclosed.
Núñez Martínez was captured on Sunday during a traffic stop on the Florida Turnpike.
In the case of Morejón Rodríguez, he was arrested this Monday by undercover agents of the Doral Police in Hallandale Beach, in Broward County.
A lure with an iPhone
The scheme began on September 28, when Núñez Martínez contacted the victim through Facebook Marketplace and sold them an iPhone without any issues, gaining their trust.
On October 9, he called her again to offer her more phones, and they arranged to meet at 6:45 PM in front of the victim's apartment complex in the city of Doral.
Upon opening the BMW door where the seller was waiting, the victim found Morejón Rodríguez hiding in the back seat, who pointed a gun at his head and demanded in Spanish: “We want everything you have, we want your business”, according to the arrest report cited by Univision Miami.
A desperate escape
As the vehicle moved eastward, the victim pleaded for their life and tried to escape on two occasions.
In the first attempt, near Northwest 87th Avenue and 58th Street, she was held back by a bag she was wearing around her neck.
In the second instance, he threw approximately $4,000 in cash into some bushes to distract his captors, opened the door of the moving vehicle, and fled, taking refuge in the Solo Printing store, located at 76th Avenue and 66th Street in the northwest area of the county, where he managed to contact his wife to alert the Doral Police.
Before being captured, Núñez Martínez sent the victim a text message threatening her not to report the crime.
The suspects warned him that they knew where he lived.
The charges and the criminal record
The Cuban Lázaro Núñez Martínez faces charges of armed kidnapping, aggravated assault, grand theft, and manipulation of a victim or witness.
A judge ordered his detention without the right to bail.
Judicial records cited by Telemundo 51 reveal that Núñez Martínez had a criminal history and was incarcerated in 2020 for assault, assaulting an officer, and reckless driving.
Morejón Rodríguez was to be transferred to Miami-Dade for a bail hearing at the time of the reports.
A recurring pattern
The modus operandi—first making a legitimate sale to gain the victim's trust and then ambushing them—is consistent with documented patterns in robberies linked to Marketplace in the metropolitan area.
In May 2026, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office arrested four suspects connected to at least 11 robberies targeting vendors contacted through digital platforms.
In light of this trend, the Doral Police urged citizens to exercise heightened caution.
"We invite you to come here to our station and make a transaction here in the lobby of the Doral police," stated an officer.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office also maintains "safe zones" at its district stations, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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