MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – (February 11, 2025) Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of designer sunglasses stolen from the Murfreesboro Sunglass Hut and two stores in South Carolina have been recovered in Florida, thanks to the collaboration between the Miami Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Task Force.
Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigations Division Detective Aaron Gonzalez provided authorities in Florida with critical information regarding the stolen sunglasses being shipped to an address in Miami, which led to the issuance of a search warrant.
HSI agents and Miami police executed the warrant at a residence in Miami on February 6, but the packages were no longer present. The investigation redirected law enforcement to another location where they seized nine boxes containing stolen sunglasses and merchandise from Murfreesboro, Gaffney, South Carolina, and Bluffton, South Carolina, valued at approximately $890,000.
On January 29, Murfreesboro police, in collaboration with the Smyrna Police Department, Hendersonville Police Department, Goodlettsville Police Department, and the MPD Real-Time Crime Center Crime Data Analysts utilizing LPR technology, led to the arrest of three Florida men. The MPD seized roughly $400,000 worth of sunglasses during that operation.
Detective Gonzalez charged Alexander Trujillo Gomez, 48, Xavier Perez, 52, and Lazaro Salazar Hechavarria, 28, all from Miami, with two counts of burglary, theft of property valued over $250,000, and vandalism exceeding $1,000. Additional charges are pending in Hendersonville and South Carolina.
In total, the trio is accused of stealing $1.2 million worth of designer sunglasses, merchandise, and cash in a multi-state retail theft ring.
Salazar-Hechavarria, Trujillo-Gomez, and Perez remain in custody at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, each held on a $1 million bond. A hearing is set for February 13 in General Sessions Court.
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