Thieves took a high-stakes gamble at South Beach's posh Setai hotel early Wednesday, making off with nearly $2 million worth of Hermès handbags. It was a luxury loot not usually seen outside heist films. Miami Beach police say they've cuffed at least one of the culprits, while his partner in crime remains at large.
Around 2:45 a.m., two men reportedly coordinated a brazen break-in at the Wrist Aficionado store inside the hotel. According to Local 10, the suspects were captured on surveillance video, one clad in black pants, and a yellow reflective raincoat, who arrived in a stolen work van, popped the store's lock, and prepared the stage for the theft. His accomplice, Eduardo Travieso Garcia, handled the "large gray garbage bin" logistics, wheeling the containers into the store to load up on at least 60 sought-after Hermès Birkin bags, said to retail for at least five figures each, police detailed.
In the wake of the heist, one suspect slipped away in the van, while Garcia made his getaway in an orange Hyundai Santa Fe, parked nearby. Utilizing license plate reader data, the authorities were quick on their trail. Police told NBC Miami that the Santa Fe had been sought in connection with a similar jewelry store heist in Hillsborough County on March 9, revealing a pattern of high-end thefts.
Garcia, the 45-year-old owner of the Santa Fe, was apprehended later that day at his home in southwest Miami-Dade. During questioning, he sang like a bird, delivering a "full confession," officials said. Charged with first-degree grand theft, burglary, and unlawful use of a communications device, Garcia's now behind bars with a $100,000 bond looming overhead. Should he post bond, he'll find himself under house arrest, per the judge's orders.
