CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Three members of what law enforcement officers called an international theft ring entered guilty pleas to a string of commercial burglaries and will each spend more than a decade in prison.
According to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office, Maykel Olides Hernandez, Javier Guerra-Morales and Giorge Navea each pled guilty to their roles in a series of crimes across several metro Atlanta counties, including Cherokee, Cobb, Forsyth and Fulton counties, and Knox County, Tenn.
The three were accused of committing five burglaries from December 2022 to March 2023.
Channel 2 Action News covered when Hernandez, Guerra-Morales and Navea were arrested in August 2023 by Forsyth County deputies.
According to officers at the time, detectives determined that the three men were part of an active South American theft group and similar groups and had targeted several homes and businesses for smash and grabs.
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District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway says all three pled guilty to violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, as well as multiple smash and grab burglary, theft and property damage charges.
“These defendants worked together in a coordinated effort, with a clear plan to target specific jewelry stores and steal valuable merchandise. Although four of the stores they burglarized were outside of Cherokee County, we were able to charge the defendants under Georgia’s RICO Act,” Treadaway said in a statement. “Law enforcement partners from multiple agencies played a crucial role in this case, enabling Cherokee County to combat organized retail crime within our jurisdiction and beyond.”
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The DA’s office said that the investigation determined that the defendants had taken their stolen merchandise, burgled from several jewelry stores, and sold them in Florida to be melted down and resold.
Collectively, officials said thefts from a store in Canton and another in Alpharetta yielded about $1.7 million in stolen goods.
The three were ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution, based on damage to the stores, the stolen merchandise and insurance deductibles, and were banned from Cherokee County and from contacting each other.
Hernandez, Guerra-Morales and Navea were sentenced to:
- Maykel Olides Hernandez, 40, entered a non-negotiated guilty plea on Feb. 27 and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Tony Baker to 30 years, with the first 13 years in confinement. As a recidivist offender pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 17-10-7 (a) and (c), Hernandez will be required to serve the entire prison portion of his sentence without parole eligibility.
- Javier Guerra-Morales, 33, entered a negotiated guilty plea on Feb. 27 and was sentenced to 20 years, with the first 9 years in confinement.
- Giorge Navea, 35, entered a negotiated guilty plea on March 5 and was sentenced to 25 years, with the first 10 years in confinement.
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