The Martin County Sheriff's Office announced arrests in a retail theft ring dubbed Operation Hammer Time that targeted hardware stores across the Treasure Coast and South Florida from December 2025 to April 2026. Major Ruben Romero said Johnny Batista, 19, Roberto Hernandez-Castro, 39, and Roberto Aldana-Ferrera, 31 were involved in burglaries at hardware stores across Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties. At least 40 stores across 13 counties were burglarized, with stolen goods taken back to Miami-Dade County where the suspects lived to be sold.
Roughly $500,000 worth of property was stolen, in addition to damage to stores. According to an affidavit from the Martin County Sheriff's Office, hardware stores in Stuart, Fort Pierce, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach and Jupiter were targeted, as were stores in Broward County. The crews would use a sledgehammer or other blunt object to smash the glass, often completing the thefts within minutes before police arrived or alarms were triggered.
Aldana-Ferrera is in custody in Georgia, Batista was arrested in February for a vehicle theft and is in Martin County Jail, and Hernandez-Castro has a warrant out for his arrest. A fourth suspect, Maikell Fleitas, is deceased. Investigators say Batista is connected to the first known theft at Sewell Hardware in Stuart in December 2025.
Major Romero said the thefts have a ripple effect on the community. He noted there is already severe inflation in the state, and the more property that is stolen and damage that is caused, the more expensive things become for residents. He emphasized that people can't go to work because they can't afford the tools. The suspects are facing charges of racketeering, burglary over $1,000 in damage while masked, burglary of an occupied structure and burglary of an unoccupied structure. Investigators are still looking for one other suspect and believe burglaries happened previous to December.