MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSVN) – Three Miami men were arrested in Tennessee in connection with a multi-state organized retail theft ring accused of stealing more than $1 million in eyewear from Sunglass Hut stores across several states, police said.
Xavier Perez, 52, Alexander Trujillo Gomez, 48, and Lazaro Salazar Hechavarria, 28, face multiple charges, including two counts of burglary, theft of property valued at over $250,000, and vandalism.
Investigators said the trio burglarized a Sunglass Hut in Murfreesboro on Sunday, stealing more than $284,000 in merchandise and nearly $2,000 in cash.
Police said they are also suspected of similar burglaries in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and Gaffney and Beaufort, South Carolina.
Murfreesboro police crime analysts identified a rented 2022 Chrysler Pacifica minivan used in the thefts and tracked it to Goodlettsville, Tennessee, where the suspects attempted to ship three boxes of stolen sunglasses to Miami.
When they were refused service for not opening the boxes, the men traveled to Smyrna, Tennessee where license plate reader cameras alerted authorities to their presence.
With assistance from Smyrna police, officers detained the suspects at a UPS store after they successfully paid to ship the stolen goods. Officers intercepted the shipment and seized the minivan.
Authorities said additional charges may be filed in other jurisdictions.
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