8 Vendors Arrested At Swap Shop
LAUDERHILL (CBS4) -- Eight vendors will be swapping time for freedom this weekend after they were arrested at Lauderhill's Swap Shop for selling stolen property Friday.
Lauderhill police arrested two people for dealing in stolen property: Brook Ashley Sanchez, 24, at CASH 4 Gold and Carlos Alfredo Valle, 43, at Ana's Jewelry. The Broward Sheriff's Office arrested six more and charged them with vending counterfeit goods: Shakila Harnarrinie, 42, Anjanie Mangro, 24, Bhognauth Santu, 30, Mario Pinedo, 50, Balto Harnarrine, 44, and Hanif Mohammed, 51.
The arrests are the result of a joint law enforcement effort that united members of the Lauderhill Police Department, Broward Sheriff's Office, Fort Lauderdale, and Plantation Police Departments who have spent several months investigating vendors who they allege purchased stolen jewelry, melted it down and also those who sell counterfeit products such as faux designer handbags, belts, shoes and sunglasses.
Investigators learned that much of the stolen property from various crimes found its way into the hands of unscrupulous Swap Shop vendors who simply took the jewelry without asking questions, according to the Lauderhill Police Department.
Police claim that rising gold prices and quick turnaround have contributed to the increase in this type of crime.
Unlike pawn shops, which require identification and the obtaining of a fingerprint, second-hand vendors are not regulated, thus allowing them to avoid detection, according to Lauderhill Police.
