7 ‘Beauty Bag Bandits' arrested in statewide retail theft ring: Florida AG

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Wednesday announced the arrest of seven people allegedly involved in a statewide retail theft ring.

Uthmeier held a press conference joined by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the CEO of the Florida Retail Federation, where he discussed the arrests of what he referred to as the “Beauty Bag Bandits.”

“This was a coordinated criminal enterprise that robbed retailers across Florida and turned stolen goods into illicit proceeds,” Uthmeier said. “We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect Florida businesses, keep prices low for consumers, and quickly dismantle organized retail theft rings from the ground up.”

According to Uthmeier, the operation was led by the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

From November 2024 and the summer of 2025, investigators found that the criminal organization was responsible for retailers in South, Central and West Florida regions losing tens of thousands of dollars, he said.

Suspects in the crime ring would go to several CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Burlington, and Ulta Beauty locations and would fill bags with health and beauty supplies. They would then sell the stolen merchandise to another suspect in Hialeah, who would then sell the merchandise online.

• Naychel Alvarez Jerez, 36: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, directing dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property and unlawful use of a two-way communications device
• John Kevin Romero, 22: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized retail theft (two counts), dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property and inlawful use of a two-way communications device
• Josue Rego Romero, 29: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized retail theft (two counts), dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property and unlawful use of a two-way communications device
• Albert Mario Socorro Alvarez, 28: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized retail theft (two counts), dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
• Jose Carlos Perez Salgado, 30: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized retail theft, dealing in stolen property and conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property
• Antonio Perez Torres, 26: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized retail theft, dealing in stolen property and conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property
• Lissette Rodriguez, 34: Conspiracy to commit dealing in stolen property and unlawful use of a two-way communications device

All seven suspects were arrested in Martin County and remain in jail.

“We are not going to have plexiglass over our shaving goods at local pharmacies,” Uthmeier said. “We are going to be a law and order state that respects rule of law.”

Officials said that retail theft isn’t a victimless crime.

“It drives up prices for families. It impacts employees and harms our economy,” Sheriff Rosie Cordero Strut said.

On Tuesday, two women were also arrested for a string of retail thefts throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Those two were not included in the operation.