Five men convicted for $2 million perfume cargo heist

New Jersey authorities say that five men were convicted on charges related to a scheme to transport over $2 million worth of stolen perfume products out of New Jersey to Florida.

On Wednesday, April 6, Carlos Duvergel, 57, of Texas, and Juan Crespo, 45, Felix Castillo, 49, Asnay Fernandez, 31, and Ismael Manzano-Suarez, 24, all of Hialeah, Florida, were convicted in a federal court in Trenton, New Jersey, with conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and transportations of stolen property in interstate commerce.

The charges were issued in connection with a cargo theft incident that occurred in November 2017.

Authorities say that the defendants broke into a warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, and drove away with two tractor trailers filled with stolen perfume products worth more than $2 million.

The defendants were arrested in May 2018 while attempting to break into another perfume warehouse in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Sentencing for all five defendants is scheduled for September 27, 2022.

The count of conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce carries a maximum penalty five years in prison. The count of transportations of stolen property in interstate commerce carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Both charges also carry a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offenses, whichever is greatest.