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Baby Formula Theft Ring Shut Down

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A five-month investigation has led to the arrest of 21 suspects and the dismantling of a theft ring that targeted six central Florida counties, including Highlands County, and was responsible for the theft of thousands of cans of powdered baby formula.

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By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: March 6, 2009

A five-month investigation has led to the arrest of 21 suspects and the dismantling of a theft ring that targeted six central Florida counties, including Highlands County, and was responsible for the theft of thousands of cans of powdered baby formula.

One of the suspects, Blanca Sevilla, 41, was arrested Jan. 7 by the Sebring Police Department on charges of petty theft, felony battery and giving a false ID to a law enforcement officer.

Sevilla was accused of trying to steal baby formula from a local grocery store and hitting an employee. She reportedly tried to leave the store with a purse filled with six 12.9 ounce cans of powdered Good Start Soy Baby Formula. The total value was $83.84.

The other targeted counties were Polk, Hillsborough, Manatee, Orange and Osceola.

The investigation into the theft ring started Oct. 11, 2008, when Polk County deputies stopped two vehicles in reference to a Be On Look Out (BOLO) alert for an armed aggravated battery suspect, a Polk County Sheriff's Office press release stated. The vehicles matched the ones law enforcement was looking for and it was discovered the occupants were illegal aliens who were carrying stolen baby formula. Seven people were arrested.

As the investigation continued and interviews were conducted, detectives learned there was more stolen baby formula at a Days Inn motel in Kissimmee. Six more suspects were arrested for a total of 13. They reportedly admitted to working together as an organized theft ring.

All of the suspects were in the country illegally and came to Florida from Atlanta, Ga., simply to steal baby formula, according to the press release.

They were all paid between $100 and $300 a day for the thefts.

"None of them have addresses, so the whole thing is a big cluster of people and places," said Carrie Eleazer, PCSO public information officer, who added that the suspects are in jails in Osceola, Orange and Polk counties.

Lt. Tim Lethbridge, with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigations Unit, said these types of thefts represent a "nationwide problem."

"It's being stolen for resale, not because they have a starving child," he said.

Since baby formula is such an expensive item, it has consistently ranked as one of the top five most shoplifted items during this decade. Retail theft gangs then take it and resell it on the black market.

Members of the Florida ring told detectives their operation worked by having three men go to a store, with one acting as a driver while the other two went inside.

One of the men put the formula into a shopping cart while the other did "counter surveillance" to make sure they were not caught. The females would then meet the man with the shopping cart, put the cans into an over-sized purse, or "boost bag," and leave the store.

The suspects took all the stolen formula back to a motel room and packed it into paper shopping bags before taking it to a storage unit.

This entire process was repeated until there was enough formula to call and have it taken out of state, according to the PCSO.

Over the course of the investigation, which ended March 5 with the arrest of organizer Eli Nimrod Castillo-Almendarez, 29, and three others, over 3,000 cans of stolen baby formula were seized. Last week alone, detectives recovered 1,955 cans, the PCSO said. The retail value for all of them was $75,000.

The total for one week's worth of cans was $48,875, which means the suspects would have stolen $2.5 million worth of formula in one year.

Castillo-Almendarez was reportedly renting a storage unit in Orlando. The stolen formula was taken from Florida to North Carolina for repackaging and selling.

Despite the break-up of this elaborate ring, Yolanda Carbia, with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's (FDLE) Sebring field office, said they are not working local formula thefts.

"We're not seeing a rapid rise here in Highlands County," Lethbridge added.

The arrests were made through a joint investigation between the PCSO and the FDLE, who worked in conjunction with the State Attorney's Office of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration's Criminal Investigations Division.

Those arrested were: Nery Rodriguez, 24; Johny Zuniga, 23; Jose Urrutia, 26; Lucia Reyes, 30; Melba Ovellana, 31; Carlos Chacon, 22; Dania Hernandez, 24; Nelson Matute, 24; Carlos Hernandez, 23; Silvia Hernandez, 18; Neolvy Garcia, 24; Alexander Ponce, 25; Jefery Colindres, 20; Jose Chirinos-Hernandez, 25; Carmen Banega-Castillo, 22; Jessie Lopez, 36; Blanca Sevilla, 40; Eli Nimrod Castillo-Almendarez, 29; Eber Ramon Escalante-Almendarez, 19; David Ruiz, 26; and Sonya Ponce, 27.

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson can be reached at (863) 386-5838 or bdickerson@highlandstoday.com

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