The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Five NYC gunman nabbed after wild shootout at $8M illegal weed warehouse leaves 2 dead in botched robbery: cops
As many as 15 armed thugs stormed an illegal cannabis warehouse in Westchester County on Tuesday night, leaving two people dead and five Bronx men in custody, federal prosecutors said.
nypost.com
Five NYC gunman nabbed after wild shootout at $8M illegal weed warehouse leaves 2 dead in botched robbery: cops
By
Social Links for Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
Published March 21, 2024, 4:58 p.m. ET
Five Bronx men were busted after a wild shootout at an illegal cannabis warehouse — with more than a dozen hoods storming the suburban site hoping to make off with $8 million in cash and a stash of cocaine.
Instead, two people — an employee and one of the crooks — were killed in the botched robbery at the illicit Mount Vernon warehouse late Tuesday night, federal prosecutors said.
“These five subjects allegedly orchestrated an attempted armed robbery of a warehouse that sells to smoke shops, which quickly turned deadly as a shootout ensued, culminating in the death of both an employee and one robbery crew affiliate,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said.
4 Five Bronx men are charged in a brazen attempted armed robbery of an illegal cannabis warehouse in Mount Vernon on Tuesday. Moe, Alison (USANYS)
“The defendants’ alleged brazen actions demonstrate extreme disregard for public safety and posed a significant threat to the community,” Smith said.
According to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, Ilario Contreras, Jerpi Diaz-Feliez, Jhoan Diaz-Feliz, Victor Jimenez and Joseph Perez were among as many as 15 armed thugs who stormed the warehouse.
The facility sells “various unlicensed marijuana and nicotine products,” the feds said in a press release.
The robbery crew forced employees and customers alike into the back of the building at gunpoint — but the plan went sour when a gunfight broke out between the thieves and employees of the operation.
Cops arriving at the scene on South Fifth Avenue found a man believed to be one of the robbers dead with a gunshot wound to the head, according to a federal complaint.
A warehouse employee was found with several wounds to the torso, chest and abdomen and was rushed to Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the nine-page complaint said.
The names of the two victims have not been released.
4 Federal prosecutors said up to 15 armed thugs stormed a suburban cannabis warehouse Tuesday, leaving two dead. Moe, Alison (USANYS)
4 The FBI said the suspects in a robbery at a cannabis warehouse were tracked down to the Bronx by surveillance video. Moe, Alison (USANYS)
Police also recovered an AR-15 style rifle and 9 mm spent shell casings in the aftermath of the attack.
According to the complaint, warehouse workers were filling out an order from two customers who arrived around 10 p.m. to buy “a large quantity of vapes and hookahs, among other items.”
Workers were loading the goods into their vehicle when between 10 and 15 people jumped out of a nearby van and ordered everyone back into the warehouse at gunpoint, the complaint said.
That’s when the gunfight broke out, killing the two victims and forcing the wannabe crooks to flee.
But Mount Vernon cops and federal agents traced the van to the Bronx, and tracked down the culprits using surveillance video from the Bronx and from the warehouse.
4 Federal prosecutors said an army of armed robbers thought they’d make off with $8 million and 6 kilos of cocaine at an illegal cannabis warehouse in Mount Vernon on Tuesday that left two dead and five in custody. ZUMAPRESS.com
What do you think? Post a comment.
The five suspects in custody were charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery and conspiracy to engage in drug trafficking and face up to 20 years behind bars, prosecutors said.
Authorities said they’re looking for at least one more mastermind of the blotched plot.
According to the feds, the would-be thieves were under the impression that there were 6 kilograms of cocaine and about $8 million at the warehouse when they tried to pull off the heist.
“We want to send a message to those who seek to commit heinous crimes in our community,” Mount Vernon Police Commissioner David Gibson said in a statement. “We will partner with local, state and federal partners to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”