Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

A group of four Colombians in the United States illegally are responsible for nine high-end residential burglaries in a half-dozen Florida counties, and they are suspected in more. Detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with sheriff’s offices in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, and Collier counties, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution. 

All four suspects were living in Winter Garden, Florida and in the United States illegally.

The group targeted the homes of business owners and would surveil the residences ahead of each burglary. Among the items that were sought by the group were: jewelry and watches, designer purses and bags, and cash.

In Polk County, one burglary is known to have occurred in Lakeland, with four other burglaries still under investigation and believed to have been committed by the group. Four burglaries were committed by the group in Hillsborough County, and one burglary each in the other four counties.

The total value of thefts from the nine burglaries is estimated at $1,690,100. 

“Polk County and the State of Florida are not alone in this problem; South American Theft Groups are targeting communities all across the country. All four of our suspects have taken advantage of our functionally non-existent border control and entered into the United States illegally to conduct their illegal activities. I am proud of the work by our detectives, the various sheriff’s offices, FDLE, and the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.

Geraldine Galeano-Perez, 33 (currently in the Polk County Jail)

Galeano-Perez has charges in Polk County for racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, unlawful use of 2-way communication device, burglary of dwelling, conspiracy to commit burglary, grand theft of $100,000 or more, conspiracy to commit grand theft over $100,000, dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to deal in stolen property, and providing false information of pawned items (13 counts). Her prior criminal history in Colombia includes illegal trafficking/possession of firearms & ammunition, and grand larceny. She has also been arrested in New York for possession of controlled substance, possession of forged instrument, and money laundering. Her bond in Polk County is set at $5.6 million.

Milton Ayala-Sierra, 25 (deported to Colombia). 

Ayala-Sierra has Polk County charges for racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and dealing in stolen property. He was charged in Hillsborough County for traveling across county lines to commit burglary and possession of burglary tools. Kissimmee PD charged him with dealing in stolen property and unlawful use of 2-way communication device. His prior criminal history in New York includes possession of forged instrument and money laundering. Ayala-Sierra’s current bond is $2.5 million.

Jason Alexander Higuera-Ruiz, 41 (unknown whereabouts) 

Higuera-Ruiz has Polk County charges for racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, unlawful use of a 2-way communication device, burglary of a dwelling, conspiracy to commit burglary, grand theft over $100,000, conspiracy to commit grand theft over $100,000, and conspiracy to deal in stolen property. Higuera-Ruiz was able to bail out of jail with GPS monitoring, but he cut the device off and is now at-large. Higuera-Ruiz’s current bond is $5.6 million.

Geiler Orobio-Cabezas, 36 (currently in the Pinellas County Jail)

Orobio-Cabezas has Polk County charges for racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, unlawful use of a 2-way communication device, burglary of a dwelling, conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to deal in stolen property, and possession of burglary tools. He was arrested in 2023 in Michigan for burglary. His current bond is $3.1 million. 

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “These defendants conspired together to commit multiple burglaries across Central Florida—using members of the group as decoys outside the homes of small business owners while others broke into the residences, stealing more than $1.5 million worth of items. Thanks to the great investigative work of our law enforcement partners, our Statewide Prosecutors have charged them with serious felony counts and these criminals will be held accountable.”

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glasssaid, “Like so many others before them, these criminals entered our country illegally and found their way to Florida to victimize our citizens. But under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and sheriffs like Grady Judd and Chad Chronister, law and order matters and that means the safety of our citizens will always be a top priority. I thank our FDLE agents and analysts who worked diligently on this investigation.” ***Two videos are available for media use via the PCSO YouTube page. One of the videos shows the suspects’ vehicle driving through a neighborhood, parking, and the suspects exit the vehicle wearing yellow safety vests. The second video shows the suspects parked on a nearby street for anyone to enter a gated community so the suspects can enter right behind the other vehicle. 

Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 1:30 pmregarding a 17-month investigation of a South American Theft Group (SATG) who burglarized homes in six Florida counties, stealing nearly $1.7 million in property.

All of the suspects were living in Winter Garden, Florida, and were in the United States illegally. They specifically targeted homes belonging to small business owners.

The briefing will take place at the Sheriff’s Operation Center at 1891 Jim Keene Boulevard, Winter Haven.

Polk County, Florida has 1,798.1 square miles of land area and is the 4th largest county in Florida by total area. Polk County, Florida is bordered by Highlands County, Lake County, Osceola County, Pasco County, Manatee County, Orange County, Okeechobee County, Hillsborough County, Sumter County, and Hardee County.

With over 2,000 square miles of land and water, Polk is the 4th largest county in the state. We have 17 municipalities – the largest being Lakeland, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, Bartow, Haines City and Davenport (full list), and have a current estimated population of over 810,000.

That population is larger than three states in the United States of American. Those states would be

North Dakota (788,940), Alaska (733,536), Vermont (647,818) and Wyoming (647,818)

Polk County, Florida, covers an area of approximately 2,011 square miles. Several U.S. states are physically smaller than this county. These states are:

1. Rhode Island – 1,214 square miles
2. Delaware – 2,489 square miles (However, only 1948 are on land. The other portion is Delaware Bay).

The Florida Highway Patrol has released details of a fatal crash that occurred early afternoon on August 9th. According to Sergeant Steve Gaskins, Florida Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer, a Ford Edge, driven by a 62-year-old Gibsonton man, was traveling eastbound on I-4 in the inside lane near Milepost 26 when the driver suffered a medical emergency. The driver lost control of the vehicle which traveled to outside shoulder, struck a tree, overturned and came to rest in a water filled drainage ditch. 

The driver suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash while a passenger traveling in the vehicle, a 51-year-old Gibsonton woman, suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash. 

The Florida Highway Patrol following Marsy’s Law does not provide the names of vehicle crash victims.