The Martin County Sheriff's Office announced arrests in a retail theft ring dubbed Operation Hammer Time that targeted hardware stores across Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties from December 2025 to April 2026. Major Ruben Romero said Johnny Batista, 19; Roberto Hernandez-Castro, 39; and Roberto Aldana-Ferrera, 31 were all involved in a series of burglaries that hit at least 40 stores across 13 counties. Hardware stores in Stuart, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach were among the locations targeted, along with stores in Broward County.
Investigators say the suspects would use a sledgehammer or other blunt object to smash the glass, completing the thefts within minutes before police arrived or alarms were triggered. Roughly $500,000 worth of property was stolen, in addition to damage to stores. The stolen goods were taken back to Miami-Dade County, where the suspects lived, to be sold. Batista is connected to the first known theft at Sewell Hardware in Stuart in December 2025.
Aldana-Ferrera is in custody in Georgia, Batista was arrested in February for a vehicle theft and remains in Martin County Jail, and Hernandez-Castro has a warrant out for his arrest. A fourth suspect, Maikell Fleitas, is deceased. The suspects face charges of racketeering, burglary over $1,000 in damage while masked, burglary of an occupied structure and burglary of an unoccupied structure. Romero noted that burglaries happened before December, and investigators are still looking for one other suspect.