Five men arrested in "organized theft ring"

An organized theft ring is busted in Northeast Florida.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, which first began in June 2011 by the Green Cove Springs Police Department.  They were soon joined by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, US Secret Service, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations and Target Special Investigations.  Through several undercover operations, the subjects bought merchandise they believed to be stolen.

Five local men are now in Clay County Jail facing a range of charges after a search warrant was executed Thursday at the V&J Store, Green Cove Wireless and Lore and a laundromat  on Orange Avenue.  Those businesses are operated by Abas Issa and Yousef Issa, two of the men arrested.

45-year-old Abas Issa, of Orange Park, is now charged with RICO and five counts of organized dealing in stolen property.  41-year-old Yousef Issa, of Fleming Island, is charged with RICO and three counts of organized dealing in stolen property.

Three Jacksonville men have also been arrested.  35-year-old Antoun Arbaji is charged with three counts of organized dealing in stolen property, 46-year-old Emad Abduljaber is charged with dealing in stolen property, and 54-year-old George Salameh is charged with various federal violations.

Clay county police say the fifth suspect , Salameh, is no longer in police custody and the agency has no documents related to him.