Two men were arrested early today after deputies say they stole bales of recyclable cardboard from two Naples-area supermarkets which they planned to resell on the east coast.
Yunieski Jimenez Avila, 27, and Juan R. Ramirez Morales, 21, were arrested and charged with grand theft. Reports say deputies spotted Avila and Morales in a large white box truck behind the Publix supermarket in the Pavilion Shopping Center, 871 Vanderbilt Beach Road, North Naples, around 2:15 a.m.
Deputies spotted the box truck a few minutes later behind the Albertsons store in the Marketplace shopping plaza, 8833 U.S. 41 N., North Naples. Due to recent reports of thefts of baled recyclable cardboard from area merchants using a similar type truck, deputies stopped the box truck, which did not have an attached rear license plate.
A search of the truck turned up 10 bales of compacted recyclable cardboard, which deputies learned some had been stolen from the HomeExpo Design Center on U.S. 41 North and area Target stores.
Deputies said the men planned to resell the cardboard in Miami.
Mugshots will be posted when they become available.
