DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - The owner of a freight forwarding business in Doral has been left reeling hours after thieves were caught on surveillance video driving away with a 23-foot boat in the middle of the night.
Nelson Gonzalez of MVP International Freight Systems spoke with 7News on Saturday about the overnight theft of a 23-foot Robalo.
“This was actually shipping to our customer in Aruba,” he said. “It’s a big deal to a big customer, and not only that; in these trying times, freight forwarding has suffered a lot. This affects us a lot.”
Gonzalez said he left the family-owned business at around midnight on Friday, and not long after, someone started scoping it out.
About an hour and a half later, Gonzalez said, the crooks made their move.
“We thank God we had cameras, and we have cameras from different angles in every single part of this warehouse, so we were able to take pictures and post them out,” he said.
The surveillance video captured a pickup truck backing up. Someone is seen getting out and hitching the boat onto the truck.
Three minutes later, the thieves drove off with the boat in tow.
“We saw that it’s a Ford F-150 extended cab — it’s a workman’s truck — and it had a spotter,” said Gonzalez, “so a spotter was actually spotting with them, and he was driving a Ford Focus.”
Now, Gonzalez is hoping someone will be able to help get the vessel back where it belongs.
“We’re all trying to feed our families. We’re all trying to keep our employees afloat, so any business, anything that we get, we have to make the best out of it,” he said, “and this is not just a hard blow to us. This also [affects] our customers who live on the islands.”
Gonzalez said his customer in Aruba is now out about $12,000.
If you have any information on this theft, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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