Two of the seven migrants busted in a four-borough drive-by theft ring on Monday had over 40 criminal charges between them, according to the NYPD.
Police sources say 20-year-old Cleyber Andrade and 23-year-old Juan Uzcatgui allegedly took part in the crime spree throughout Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
Under the direction of alleged ringleader, 30-year-old Victor Parra, police accused the pair of riding mopeds on the streets of New York and — while primarily targeting women — stealing valuables out of their hands, such as cellphones. In the process, some victims were dragged along the street several feet in vain efforts to retain their belongings.
Top NYPD officials and Mayor Eric Adams announced the ring bust at a Feb. 5 press conference at One Police Plaza.
“These individuals do not have a license to steal in our city. Mopeds and scooters are being used for crimes and harming innocent people. And I want to be clear again: the law is coming for those who use mopeds illegally,” Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday.
Police cuffed 7 of the 14 identified members of the illegal enterprise who had reportedly targeted at least 62 people over the course of their criminal rampage.
Authorities said Andrade and Uzcatgui were hit with more 40 grand larceny charges combined. Andrade, who stays at a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Brooklyn is facing a whooping 25 grand larceny charges while Uzcatgui, residing in the Financial District, was charged 20 times with grand larceny.
Police say the two crooks would take the stolen cellphones to Parra’s Bronx home where he employed a hacker to break into the devices, accessing financial and banking information.
Parra is still at large.
“Let me be very clear: whether you came to this country three months ago, or you have been in this country for 30 years and you commit a crime, you’ll be held accountable,” Police Commissioner Edward Caban said.
