4 Teens Arrested After String Of Pharmacy Robberies In Hialeah
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HIALEAH (CBSMiami) – A string of pharmacy robberies in Hialeah has landed four teenagers in jail. Police said they were trying to get away with powerful prescription drugs, including oxycodone.
Surveillance cameras were rolling inside a Walgreens in Hialeah off Lejeune and E 9th St. as a man broke into the store around 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
Hialeah police said he ran to the pharmacy section, taking off with thousands of dollars worth of powerful narcotics in just a couple of minutes.
Two sets of brother, ranging in age from 16 to 19 years old, are now under arrest.
"They were breaking into a Walgreens on Saturday night. They steal oxycodone, hydrocodone and they steal morphine, very powerful narcotics, and then they sell them in the black market," explained Sgt. Carl Zogby.
Hialeah police believe Jonluis Labadie, Joanky Labadie and Raul Ponce and his 16-year-old brother also broke into another Walgreens in Hialeah off W 76st St. and 33rd Ct. shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday.
They beefed up patrols around the stores after that break in.
"We knew they were going to strike again so we were watching all the Walgreens at night," Zogby said. "So we caught them, we caught them in action."
Police said on Saturday night, detectives spotted the break in and the teens tried to flee in a 2014 Mercedes S550.
"They ended up crashing it, running out of the car, one jumped into a canal. The rest of them scattered. We set up a perimeter. We caught all four of them," Zogby said.
The suspects all went before a judge.
Hialeah police said the teens all have extensive criminal records, as noted by prosecutors during the hearing.
"We believe is responsible for burglarizing an excess of 50 pharmacies," the prosecutor said.
Hialeah police are looking into other cases to see if the teens are connected.
"This investigation is going to continue with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Somebody is requesting this from them. Somebody is buying this from them, so they don't work alone," Zogby said.