6 face charges in Seminole, Volusia shoplifting operation

Authorities in Seminole and Volusia counties teamed up to bust a retail-theft ring that stole an estimated $350,000 worth of merchandise since 2014, they said Wednesday.

Three Deltona brothers and three other men face charges including racketeering and dealing in stolen property.

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Blacklist,” began after a shoplifting call in October 2016 at a Deltona Walmart. Two suspects were seen filling a shopping cart with laundry detergent and cat food.

There were similar cases later that year at Walmart, Target and Publix stores in Deltona, Orange City and Sanford.

The suspects also were linked to crimes dating back to 2014 at Target stores in Sanford, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs and Orange City. Detectives spent more than a year going through surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses and tracking the suspects.

“A lot of work went into this,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. “They [detectives] are going to give everything they have so they make sure these scumbags do not destroy the quality of life in these counties.”

Authorities identified the three men arrested as Francesco Mazzella, 35, of Deltona; Howard Proano-Tello, 26, of Orange City; and Joseph Gonzalez-Cruz, 28, of Winter Park. The brothers arrested were Dalton Black, 24; Austin Black, 26; and Brandon Black, 27 — all of Deltona.

Chitwood said Mazzella was the ringleader. He would give the other men a “shopping list,” and they would go out and steal the items. Mazzella would then resell what they stole.

The sheriff added that retail theft is not a victimless crime and has an adverse impact on stores.

“The best way to fuel crime is to start with retail theft,” Chitwood said. “That money is going somewhere, whether it goes overseas … or it’s going for drugs.”