ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Police Department and other agencies announced on Thursday the results of a multiyear investigation into a group of five gangs accused of committing dozens of crimes across the region.
Orlando police Chief Orlando Rolon said the investigation began in 2015 after two dozen firearms were stolen from a gun show being held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.
While investigating that case, authorities said intelligence information led them to discover that the suspects were actually part of an organized crime ring connected to other similar burglaries, robberies and shootings.
Rolon said five separate gangs investigated as part of Operation Gang Theft Auto worked together in these crimes.
All in all, 163 vehicles were stolen during a five-year period from dealerships across the region, resulting in $4.2 million worth of thefts and damages, according to Rolon.
The U.S. Marshals Service adopted the case in 2016 and a task force was developed. Rolon said 37 police agencies from Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Pasco, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia counties worked together to investigate crimes connected to the groups.
"We are bringing forward the largest and most comprehensive gang racketeering case in our history. Because of this investigation, nine subjects have been charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act...," Rolon said.
Those nine suspects are: Allen Glover Jr., Alphonso Knight, Cameo Dixon, Craig Blunt, Duramous Parker, Jaylen King, Quintrellis Bell, Corey Pittman and Joshua Wilkerson.
Five of those suspects were already in custody on unrelated charges.
Rolon warned criminals that just because they were crossing jurisdictional boundaries, didn't mean they wouldn't be caught.
Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson echoed Colon's thoughts, vowing that law enforcement officers across the region would continue working together to put criminals behind bars.
"We have the resources. We are going to expend those resources. We are going to work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners, and we are going to make sure that we develop these cases to such intricate detail that we give our state attorneys the best cases possible for prosecution," Gibson said.
Authorities said the investigation is still active and they expect more arrests to be made.