Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Global Terrorists (Gal Zentner's Library) Read Online Free PDF

and Miami. When dealing with theft of items that have a high retail value, Level 3 boosters and fences are very careful to execute the heist in the stealthiest way possible. In another surveillance tape, Hooper showed me two boosters—both well-dressed, seemingly wealthy men, wearing crisp button-down shirts and driving moccasins—walk into a watch store in Las Vegas. The salesperson approaches them and asks if they have any questions or want to see a couple of items. When the salesperson turns his back, the boosters go into action, cutting the seal of the glass case with a special tool, lifting the top, and swiping the Rolex watches. The theft is over within 90 seconds. By the time the salesperson turns around, the two men are walking out of the store carrying nearly $100,000 worth of watches. The only people who noticed were those watching the surveillance video after the incident.
    One way Level 3 boosters, as well as fences, circumvent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or ICE investigation is by creating and using fake Puerto Rican driver’s licenses and presenting them at the time of their arrest. Not only was Gonzalez found to be carrying one, but his team of boosters carried them as well. The South American theft groups are known to carry fake licenses, passports, and, in some cases, birth certificates, according to LAPD Detective Amaury Guevara.
    Like most Level 3 ORC groups, cargo theft gangs operate on a hierarchical system, where several people assume different roles. One person may take on the role of leader, truck driver, warehouse worker, booster, fence, broker, and buyer. All of these people work in tandem to get the merchandise and sell it to overseas buyers in South American countries, such as Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
    This is exemplified by Ulises Talavera, owner of Transamerica Express of Miami, the third component of the Miami Sony PlayStation 2 ring used to ship stolen Sony PS2s, cameras, and stereo equipment to Paraguay to be sold in the Galeria Page mall. According to a study done by FreightWatch, buyers and distributors have ties to the countries that are receiving the stolen items. Talavera was working in conjunction with Samer Mehdi—his business partner, who also owned a shipping company—to get millions of dollars worth of merchandise into his stores. Level 3 boosters are highly sophisticated and will fly to a location where the product is being delivered, stay at a nearby hotel, and rent a car under an alias so that they remain untraceable. They case the property or port where the goods are being delivered to ensure a seamless execution of the theft outlined in the FreightWatch study. Level 3 boosters either work for the freight company that delivers the goods, work within the warehouse that stores the product, or have close ties within the freight company or warehouse. This helps them easily lift the merchandise while remaining off everyone’s radar. Sticking to the plan is critical. One sloppy move or miscommunication, and millions of dollars worth of product couldslip through their hands. Even worse, the Level 3 booster and their team could get caught. If the Level 3 booster doesn’t have contacts at a freight company or product warehouse, another method of theft they might engage in is stealing directly from the back of the truck at a terminal yard. Based on gathered intelligence through GPS systems and a detailed map, a Level 3 booster might follow a truck carrying a load of merchandise and wait until the driver stops, or go to a truck terminal yard and break into a truck there. Because most states do not allow rigs to be parked in residential areas, truck drivers often leave their trucks overnight and sometimes over the weekend in unmanned terminal yards. This gives Level 3 boosters the perfect opportunity to steal.
    Level 3 Boosters: Frequently Lifted Merchandise
    In 2003, the Tactical Operations Multi-Agency Cargo Anti-Theft Squad (TOMCATS) raided a Miami