Two Marion County men have been arrested after deputies say they stole over $25,000 from a grocery store.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office said 50-year-old Miguel Nales worked as a sub-contractor who cleaned the floors overnight at the Winn-Dixie Supermarket located at 7131 North Highway 441 in Ocala.
Investigators say Nales brought a crate with a hidden compartment with him inside the store, then used the crate to hide 6-19 cartons of cigarettes each night he worked. In all deputies said he stole 275 cartons and 606 individual packs of cigarettes from the store.
Detectives said they conducted surveillance on Nales and discovered he was selling the cigarettes to Juan Velez, 45, at his Ocala home.
On Feb. 9, the Sheriff’s Office said detectives conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Nales was driving. Detectives then executed a search warrant at Velez’s residence and recovered $2,187 worth of cigarettes and seized $1,900 in currency.
Investigators said during interviews with Nales and Velez, they both confessed to their involvement in the theft.
Nales was arrested and charged with larceny and organized dealing in stolen property. Velez was arrested and charged with organized dealing in stolen property.