(The Center Square) – Four Cuban nationals who charged in connection to a criminal theft ring operating in Florida and Texas face up to a combined 832 years in prison if convicted, as well as deportation.

Their arrests “exemplify the dangers of an open border policy,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at a news conference led by Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister whose deputies busted the crime ring.

One Cuban was in the U.S. on a green card from the Obama era, three illegally entered under the Biden administration, Uthmeier said. “They’ve all got criminal records, and they shouldn’t have been here. Yet here they are operating this organized scheme to defraud our citizens.

“Let this be an example to people out there: leave our citizens alone.”

Chronister said his Organized Crime Task Force detectives launched an investigation in May after noticing a pattern of thefts of Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) from freightliner semi-trucks parked in short-term storage lots. ECMs are considered the “brain” of a truck; without them, the vehicles are completely inoperable, Chronister said.

The detectives suspected the thefts were part of a larger criminal enterprise, confirmed by additional information provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Working with the AG’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, they obtained 25 search warrants and investigative subpoenas. Other agencies involved in the operation included the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Police Department.

The theft ring victimized 93 people and caused $400,000 worth of ECM thefts and $370,000 in damages by prying open engine compartments and cutting wiring harnesses to remove the ECMs, Chronister said.

Investigators found that the EMCs were stolen from semi-trucks throughout Florida and Texas. Through evidence and surveillance, they were able to tie the alleged perpetrators to ECM theft cases in Hillsborough, Duval, Lee, and Polk Counties in Florida and in Travis and Williamson counties in Texas.

The Cuban nationals, based in Miami and Palm Beach counties, are “believed to be in the U.S. without legal status,” he said.

Cuban nationals Geosvany Figuerdo-Gonzalez, 27, Orlando Martínez-Dorta, 27, Brian Sanchez-Perez, 28, and Liovel Urra-Penate, 28, were all arrested and face a combined 139 counts of RICO, attempted RICO, grand theft and criminal mischief charges.

All four were arrested and charged with conspiracy to engage in racketeering. The first three were charged with a combined 65 counts of grand theft 3rd degree and 65 counts of burglary of unoccupied conveyance (travel across county lines) as well as criminal mischief $1,000 or more.

All four defendants face up to a combined 832 years in prison and deportation.

“Every single one of them has a criminal history,” the sheriff said. “Some of them more expansive than others.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed detainer requests on three of them. A fourth’s permanent resident status is being investigated, he said.

Detectives learned there is a strong secondary market for ECMs, Chronister said, with ECMS being sold for $3,000 to $10,000 apiece. They also learned that criminals are selling the parts to a broker in Texas who wipes them clean and resells them, he said. Investigators turned over this information to federal law enforcement partners to launch an extended investigation. Additional individuals are expected to be charged, he said.

“This wasn’t petty theft; this was a calculated criminal enterprise targeting people who help keep our economy moving. These suspects crippled hardworking truck drivers by stealing the technology that powers their livelihoods,” Chronister said. “Thanks to the relentless work of our Organized Crime Task Force and our law enforcement partners, we’ve shut down this operation and sent a clear message: if you cross into Hillsborough County to commit a crime, we’ll cross every line to stop you.”

“We have made it clear that crime doesn’t pay in Florida, and if you’re an illegal alien, we will work with the Trump administration to remove you from our country,” Uthmeier said. “Our statewide prosecutors will ensure the only thing coming for these criminal aliens is a strong prison sentence and a flight back to where they came from.”