A man and a woman are suspected of organizing a violent $1 million robbery at Dubai Jewelers in Nashville. The couple was staying at a luxury Miami Beach hotel when authorities closed in on them on October 27. Detectives from Miami Beach Police received classified information from the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and were able to identify the robbers. They were 38-year-old Milleni Garcia and 34-year-old Orlando Valdes-Hernandez, who are now dealing with multiple charges.
The investigation was successful thanks to social media sleuthing done by MNPD Robbery Detective Kevin Keating and his team. They managed to identify Valdes-Hernandez and Garcia as two of the three accomplices involved in the audacious heist on Nolensville Pike that occurred on October 23.
A police report states that the pair entered Dubai Jewelers pretending to be interested in rings. A couple of minutes later, a third robber walked in. The situation quickly got out of hand when Valdes-Hernandez leaped over the counter, used pepper spray on an employee, then forced them into a back room. There was another staff member at the back and they were both ordered at gunpoint to lie on the floor and not move. While the man detained the shop workers, Garcia and the unknown individual were quickly stuffing up their bags full of valuables. In the end, Valdes-Hernandez also helped himself to additional pieces before he could fly the scene with the other two.
Milleni Garcia
Orlando Valdes-Hernandez
Upon apprehending the pair, Miami Beach Police officers found some of the stolen items and a wig that was worn by Garcia when committing the robbery. The detectives are still looking for the third accomplice. This was a man with dreadlocks wearing a toboggan cap. Of course, he might have a different appearance now, but if you have any information about the suspect, we kindly ask you to inform the Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
Garcia and Valdes-Hernandez are currently being detained by Miami police and will soon be transferred to Nashville. Currently, some of Valdes-Hernandez’s charges are aggravated kidnapping, robbery, weaponized assaults, and theft. Garcia’s charges are a bit milder as she was an accomplice and not a criminal leader. Most likely, she facilitated kidnapping, robbery, and theft.
The MNPD found the tip given by their law enforcement partners very helpful. They’re grateful to the Miami Beach Police Department, FBI, as well as Nashville International Airport Police, without whom this operation would not have been successful.
