MIAMI (WSVN) - Two people wearing masks have been taken into custody at the Seybold Jewelry Building in downtown Miami.
The arrestees were escorted out of the building along Northeast First Street, near North Miami Avenue, Tuesday night.
7News cameras captured officers wearing masks placing a man and a woman, who were also wearing masks, inside a Coral Gables Police prisoner transport van.
Eduardo Farach, 48, has been identified as the masked man and is facing three counts of money laundering. He’s accused of laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars related to an Argentina-based gold smuggling ring.
Tina Longas, Farach’s girlfriend, was also arrested. Longas is charged with failure to register with the Internal Revenue Service as a pawn shop operator, doing business without a license and record-keeping violations.
Luis Alberto Morell, a third person in the investigation, was arrested in Doral and appeared in court, Wednesday. He faces money laundering charges on a smaller scale.
According to the building’s website, the Seybold Jewelry Building is the second largest diamond and jewelry center in the United States and houses over 280 jewelers on 10 floors. The building is also on the National Register of Historic Places and typically closes before sunset.
A South Florida Financial Crime Strike Force investigation led to a search warrant on the eighth floor of the building.
Investigators said during their search, they found $300,000 in cash and nearly nine pounds of pure gold, which is valued at $160,000.
Homeland Security officials released a statement to 7News, Tuesday night.
“Special Agents of Homeland Security are conducting an investigation with the help of local and state law enforcement agencies. Homeland Security cannot comment on what the investigation is regarding,” the statement read.
Investigators could be seen covering their faces while walking out of the building with multiple bags and boxes in their hands.
Cameras also captured multiple unmarked vehicles parked outside the front of the building that belonged to investigators.
7News reached out to City of Miami Police, the FBI and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, who all said they were not involved.
Farach is being held on a bond of over $1 million, and Longas has since been released from jail.
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