MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A second arrest has been made this week after a refrigerated semi-trailer with $100,000 worth of frozen poultry inside was stolen from a neighborhood in northwest Miami-Dade.
An arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol states that Jorge Lyen Blanco-Diaz, 38, was arrested Monday on charges of grand theft of cargo, grand theft of a vehicle and unlawful use of a communications device.
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Another man, Raul Bello, 49, was arrested in connection with the case on Oct. 1. He faces the same charges.
According to arrest reports, the semi-trailer is valued at $80,000 and the freightliner it was attached to, which was also stolen, is valued at $60,000.
The victim reported that the theft occurred early in the morning on Sept. 15 near his home in the area of Old State Road 9 and Northwest 155th Lane.
Troopers said the victim had parked the truck and trailer on the county swale near his home the night before, and at about 2 a.m., his sister called him to ask if he had already left because she no longer saw the truck or the trailer.
Authorities said the truck driver immediately walked over to the area where he had parked and saw that the truck and trailer had been stolen.
According to the report, license plate readers picked up the stolen vehicle that same day on the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 near the Golden Glades Interchange, along with a white Nissan that was following behind it.
Troopers said Bello was spotted driving the Nissan on Sept. 17, leaving an apartment complex on West Flagler Street.
Authorities said they obtained cellphone records for Bello, including text message logs and incoming and outgoing calls, which showed that he and Blanco-Diaz had been communicating before, during and after the theft.
According to his arrest report, Blanco-Diaz is part of a “major theft organization” known as an “MTO” to police.
“An MTO is a sophisticated criminal organization that profits from illegally obtained goods that are later sold for economic gain,” the report states. “Jorge Lyen Blanco Diaz is also a suspect in another cargo theft case taken on September 12, 2023, regarding a theft of a truck tractor and a semi-trailer loaded with assorted meat products (with a total value of $400,000.00) that is currently being investigated.”
Troopers said Blanco Diaz was on house arrest at the time of his arrest and was being tracked with a GPS ankle monitor, which helped link him to the theft of the semi-trailer and freightliner.
As of Tuesday, he remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Bello, meanwhile, was being held without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center.