Four people are facing charges after police said they found a "criminal factory" inside a home in southwest Miami-Dade where cops seized guns, drugs and other fraudulent items.
The bust happened at a home on Southwest 244th Terrace that Miami-Dade Police were watching after receiving reports that drugs were inside.
After executing a search warrant, officials said they realized it was much more than a narcotics investigation.
"They’re making false checks, they're cloning credit cards, they had other peoples' IDs, they were stealing identities, so in fact the house itself was just one big criminal factory," Miami-Dade Police Det. Alvaro Zabaleta said Friday.
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Arrested in the bust were Guillermo Home, 24, Raymond Home, 22, Suset Rodriguez, 22, and Marta Roenicke, 67. They face charges that include check forgery, unlawful possession of identities, possession of marijuana and controlled substances, and using a firearm while committing a felony.
Officials said they found eight firearms in the home. None were stolen but a shotgun had its serial number scratched out, and two were "ghost guns," officials said.
"The ghost guns are the ones that you make online. You purchase parts online and you build it at home. And they don’t have a serial number attached to them therefore they don’t have an identity," Zabaleta said.
Zabaleta said the amount of ammunition seized was also concerning.
"These individuals were almost preparing themselves for war, that’s the amount of ammunition that was inside of this house," Zabaleta said.
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Officials said the investigation was a success thanks to the collaboration of their Organized Crime Bureau, made up of the Economic Crimes and Narcotics Section.
"Frequently we find that a lot of guns go with drugs. And then recently we've noticed that guns and drugs, a lot of them are being financed through the fraud and that’s what's providing the finance for this criminal activity," Zabaleta said.
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