DORAL, Fla. – Miami-Dade police officers arrested two men on Tuesday after they confessed to illegal dumping at a lake in Doral.
Witnesses reported seeing a South Florida Vac-Con Service truck disposing of dark water on June 17, in the community of Valencia at Doral’s Lake Mario.
“We appreciate the vigilance of our citizens who immediately posted the incident on social media. Caring for the environment is a shared responsibility,” MDPD Director George A. Perez said in a statement.
Detectives identified the suspects as Dayron Barreto and Julio Barreto, who are facing felony littering charges, and civil fines.
Dayron Barreto, 25, is the manager of Cutler Bay-based South Florida Vac-Con Service, and Julio Barreto, 51, is the president, according to the arrest report.
They told police officers they were in the community on June 16 and June 17 to pump out 22 clogged storm drains and when the truck reached capacity they dumped about 100 gallons of stormwater in the lake, according to the report.
They also told police officers that they had emptied the remaining stormwater at the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department facility in Cutler Bay, as they always do, according to the arrest report.
The investigation also involved the Doral Police Department, Doral code compliance, and the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management.
Officers issued about $12,500 in civil citations to De La Torre General Service, South Florida Vac-Con Service, and Valencia at Doral.
June 20 report
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