GRAPEVINE, Texas — Seven men are behind bars, accused of planning multiple cargo heists that resulted in the theft of over $6 million worth of merchandise, police say.
According to the Grapevine Police Department, the investigation started with a warehouse burglary on May 13, 2024. Police said the men cut a hole in the bay door and were able to walk away with $500,000 worth of Ray-Ban glasses and Oculus virtual reality headsets.
After the burglary, Grapevine police created a bulletin including photos of the suspect, their box truck and details about the burglary, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA. Grapevine police heard from Coppell police, who connected the Grapevine burglary to two burglaries committed in Coppell in May 2024 and Aug. 2023.
Coppell police responded to a burglary alarm around 5:18 a.m. on May 5, 2024, to Export Tek at 410 N. Freeport Parkway in Coppell, according to the affidavit. Officers there found that over $33,000 worth of cell phones were stolen, the affidavit states. Surveillance images showed a man wearing the same clothing worn by a suspect in the May burglary in Grapevine.
Later, Coppell police responded to reports of an overnight burglary on Aug. 27, 2023 at the same location, Export Tek, the affidavit states. The suspects stole $2.21 million worth of cell phones then, the affidavit states.
Grapevine Police also identified two other burglaries, in Plano and the DFW Airport, that matched the Grapevine burglary. Plano police found that a hole was cut into a warehouse bay door Oct. 20, 2023 at Ontronics located at 1701 10th Street # 100 in Plano. The suspects stole $1.49 million worth of cell phones, the affidavit said.
In Aug. 2023, DFW Airport police responded to a burglary and found the suspects in the process of stealing $2 million in cell phones, the affidavit said.
In August 2024, GPD said officers spotted a suspect vehicle in Grapevine circling an electronics warehouse. Police said they launched a drone and confirmed an active robbery, but the men got away by employing multiple lookouts through the city who tipped them off to police activity.
However, police said one of the men was arrested that night and six more arrests followed through early November.
A release from Grapevine PD said the men were part of a crime ring that was involved in seven heists committed between August 2023 and June 2024. Investigators found that the men were involved in "an elaborate criminal organization" that conducted meticulous planning, conducted counter surveillance using lookouts and targeted warehouses that store expensive electronic devices, the affidavit states.
Grapevine PD arrested Adrian Ellison, 38; Julius Green, 40; Willie Hill, 38; Eric White, 33; Fayzal Kara, 40; Ronnie Vaden, 33; and Derrick White, 38 based on cellular data that places the men near the burglarized warehouses at the time the crime was committed, the affidavit states.
All seven men were charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, a first-degree felony, police say.