DORAL, Fla. – Three people were arrested Friday after Doral police caught them stealing withdrawal envelopes from the vehicles of bank customers.
Doral police said that "bank jugging" is when criminals will sit in a bank parking lot and watch customers go in and out of the bank, before they follow a customer and either burglarize their vehicle or rob them directly of cash.
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To combat bank jugging, as it's so called, police in Doral set up a surveillance operation outside banks in the city.
At about 10 a.m. police said they saw a black 2017 Jeep Patriot with Texas tags parked in front of a Wells Fargo branch in the 1000 block of Northwest 41st Street.
The Jeep, which has tinted windows, was registered with a car rental company.
The vehicle was seen circling the parking lot of he bank and police said they believe the occupants were trying to identify customers withdrawing cash in order to follow them and eventually burglarize their vehicles.
Soon after the Jeep went to a Citi Bank branch nearby and began to follow an Infinity SUV to the International Mall parking lot, police said. When the driver of that vehicle left someone came out of the Jeep and peered into the SUV.
The vehicle then returned to the bank where an undercover officer went into the bank, got an envople with money inside and drive an unmarked police SUV to the mall.
The Jeep followed the undercover officer, according to an arrest report, and a man was seen coming out of the Jeep and taking the envelope from the unmarked vehicle.
Soon after police were able to arrest Robert Ben Jenkins, 32, Porscha Jeanette Moore, 27 and Andre Maurice Taylor, 37.
Police said they also found marijuana in the center console of the Jeep along with white gloves, binoculars and a window puncher.
After being read their rights Moore told police that she traveled from Houston with Jenkins and Taylor with the intent to set up at banks and follow victims, according to an arrest report.
Taylor made similar statements to police, the report said, and told police he was the one who broke into the unmarked police vehicle.
Jenkins also gave police a full confession, police said, and said that he had a "bad feeling" and the day but preceeded with the burglary because the group was short on money.
To protect yourself against bank jugging Doral police suggest being aware of your surroundings, concealing money when leaving the bank and not hiding a bank bag or envelope in your vehicle when your exit the bank.