Officials say that cases of cigars worth $250,000 have been stolen from a South Florida warehouse. As per the Broward Sheriff's Office, a surveillance video showed several burglars breaking into the Florida Distributors Inc. warehouse in Tamarac early Friday at around 1:30 a.m. The burglars apparently got into the warehouse through the roof. The sheriff's office says that over the course of two hours, the burglars stole approximately 700 cases of cigars in three vehicles. They took around two hours to stuff the stock of cigars into a van that was waiting outside. Authorities are investigating into the case and they think the suspects are professionals.
A group of burglars broke into a Tamarac cigar warehouse through its roof early Friday, taking their time to load and drive away with Dutchmaster stogies worth close to $300,000, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
The suspects took the cigars from Florida Distributors Inc. at 2700 Northwest 55th Court, with video showing them jumping a fence at about 1:30 a.m. before they entered the warehouse, the BSO said in a statement.
They
loaded about 700 cases of cigars into three vehicles before they eventually
drove away, after spending about two hours at the warehouse, according to the
BSO.
"They
were very methodical. They took their time. They didn't appear as if they were
rushing," Det. Michael Colantuno said.
At least six thieves were involved. They climbed a tree to the
roof, managed to cut open the rebar covering a skylight, and jumped into the
warehouse, according to Colantuno.
Much of
the heist was caught on surveillance video inside the warehouse, but a key
warning never sounded.
"Alarm
didn't go off, because for some reason, the sensor didn't detect
anything," said Rizwan Ishaque, the owner of Florida Distributors.
Authorities
can only guess where the suspects took their haul of cigars.
"It
could be anywhere. Down in Miami, Palm Beach, could be Broward, could be
anywhere," Colantuno said.
The BSO
found 56 boxes of cigars left on the roof that are worth about $19,000,
Colantuno said. They will be checked for DNA. The BSO is also reviewing
surveillance cameras from nearby buildings to pinpoint the vehicles involved.
