Thread: Nine arrested in robbery plot

Nine arrested in robbery plot
By Phillip Ramati - pramati@macon.com

Nine Colombians have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, a Putnam County investigator said Thursday.

Sheriff's investigator Harry Luke said the suspects - seven men and two women - were plotting to rob two jewelry merchants after they left one of the merchant's Eatonton home.

At least six of the Colombians are being held as illegal immigrants, Luke said, though two of them are claiming to be Puerto Ricans. Additionally, the alleged robbers are believed to be a part of an organized crime ring that the FBI is linking to about 100 robberies of jewelry merchants across the country, Luke said.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office tipped off Putnam officials, telling them about the Colombians' alleged plot to rob two jewelry merchants, Luke said. One of the merchants is a resident of Eatonton, and the other is from Texas. Between them, they were carrying about $500,000 in merchandise.

The Colombians were staking out the Eatonton merchant's home, not realizing police were already alerted to their presence.

Luke said the sheriff's office placed a deputy inside the house to protect the two men, who were told of the alleged plot.

Luke said deputies Aug. 24 were able to arrest nine of the alleged robbers, who were travelling in six cars, without incident. One of the cars managed to get away. It was later discovered in Gwinnett County, but the car's occupants escaped, Luke said.

"It was very successful," he said. "Nobody got hurt. It's good we were able to do something before any citizen was robbed. The Texas merchant had already been robbed twice before."

Luke said the Colombians were armed with knives and a Daisy BB pistol. They also had black-hooded sweatshirts, sunglasses, black scarves and black caps. Luke said they were planning to follow the two merchants and accost them while they were on the road.

Arrested were: Edwin Rodriguez, 21; Idina Delapaz, 44; Carla Tobar, 26; Antonio Perez, 39; Rojas Robinson Ramirez, 24; Faiza Andres Rodriguez, 24; Louis Alfonso, 43; Alexander Cuadros, 32; and Antonio Chocal, 29. The nine are being held without bond in the Putnam County jail.

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.

http://www.macon.com/198/story/125207.html

Again... just doing the jobs that the lazy fat a_ _ed Americans will not do.

that is the answer you will get if you let Presedente Bush tell the story