Miami airport cargo worker accused of stealing $1.2 million in cellphones – NBC Miami (51)

In Colombia they were waiting for Samsung smartphones sent from Miami, but they received sandbags.

A cargo worker at Miami International Airport has been arrested after authorities say he stole $1.2 million worth of cell phones that were supposed to be shipped to Colombia.

According to authorities, the man responsible, Eduardo Miguel Rivera-Paz, a 37-year-old Cuban citizen, appeared in court this Monday.

“Sir, you have been charged with grand larceny and theft of goods valued at more than $50,000. They appoint a public defender’s office to represent him.”

According to documents submitted to the court, Rivera-Paz was working as a supervisor and employee of Global Airlines when he reviewed surveillance videos at the DHL Express facility connected to Miami International Airport. to a cargo ship area with another person.

A police report indicates the cargo was returned to the interior of the facility by forklift and its contents transferred to a vehicle with a trailer.

And according to court testimony, the cell phones were stripped and sandbagged to the same weight as the phones delivered to Colombia.

The incident took place on March 20. The next day, the cargo arrived in Colombia and the sand passed through customs undetected, as if they were actually smartphones, stolen by a millionaire. $1,200,000 worth of Samsung cell phones, according to the report.

According to the arrest report, Eduardo Miguel Rivera lives in a neighborhood of trailers located in Paz Miramar, where neighbors said they did not know him.

In court, the judge set an additional bail of $300,000, which seemed high for the defense.

If Rivera pays it and is to be released pending trial, there is one condition: He must show that the money was used to pay the bail or that the money was well-earned.

Author’s note: An earlier version of this note incorrectly stated that the defendant was an employee of DHL. He is actually an employee of Global Air Services, a cargo handling company.