Romanian women arrested in Martin County

Two women from Romania were arrested along with a 14-year-old boy in Martin County. They are accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from stores across the state. “We were dealing with an international ring of traveling criminals,” said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder. Elena and Eugenia Dunca are both charged with grand larceny. WPBF 25 News is not releasing the boy’s name because he is charged as a minor. Stay Up to Date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25 Snyder said the manager of a CVS store in Stuart contacted his deputies last week to tell them someone had basically stripped a few shelves at her store. “They actually sewed fake pockets into their clothes,” Snyder said. “So they can go home with two to three thousand dollars worth of high-end cosmetic items at a time.”Snyder said the same suspected thieves have robbed CVS stores across the state, and their pictures and vehicle descriptions have been circulating throughout the stores.Your Neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsThe manager of the CVS in Stuart showed that information to the deputy investigating her store, and he shared it with the rest of the sheriff’s office.Snyder said another deputy spotted the suspects at another CVS store just a few miles down the road.”Within an hour, we had the suspects arrested,” Snyder said. “And then we realized they actually robbed four stores while they were here.”In addition to the two CVS stores, Snyder said, the suspects also robbed two Walgreens stores.And the sheriff said thefts like these aren’t just a store problem, it’s everyone’s problem.According to the sheriff’s office, Florida retailers lost $5.421 billion in sales to theft in 2022 and another $5.888 billion to return fraud in the same year.Across the country: National coverage from WPBF 25 NewsSnyder said that’s leading to price hikes across the board, and that’s why he thinks it’s so important to arrest the Duncas.”They steal anything that’s not tied down,” Snyder said. “These people have no scruples. They don’t care about Western values. And they spend their whole lives stealing from us every day.” Snyder said both Duncas were referred to federal immigration authorities. The 14-year-old boy was sent to the county juvenile detention center.