APOPKA, Fla.,None — A major identity theft ring that was centered in Apopka was busted, authorities said on Wednesday.
The ring may have gone beyond Central Florida, officials said.
Sources told WFTV reporter Daralene Jones that the theft ring was discovered during a drug bust.
Apopka police said they raided a home on Sheeler Avenue near US-441 on Tuesday night because they suspected that two people living there were running a marijuana and crack-cocaine operation.
- Slideshow: Officers, home where theft ring was busted
Investigators said a man and a woman from Miami were arrested on Wednesday. Police said the two were identified as Renald Wilder and Holly Eckert of Miami, who were renting the home.
Authorities said they were buying expensive clothes, pricey Air Jordan sneakers and flat screen TVs with stolen credit cards.
The couple also had social security numbers, investigators said.
Sources confirmed the pair had a list with names next to dates of birth and social security numbers.
Investigators said they were working to figure out what database was used to get that kind of information.
Apopka police and Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents said they found so many credit cards and drivers' licenses inside the upscale rental home that it took several boxes to hold them.
The IDs belong to people from Miami to the panhandle.
There were nearly 1,000 credit cards opened in their names to buy several hundred thousand dollars worth of merchandise, said police.
Apopka police busted the home Tuesday night because they suspected Wilder and Eckert were buying and selling marijuana and crack cocaine.
Investigators said they found drugs, along with the stolen IDs and bogus credit cards.
"Everybody had their suspicions, in and out of the house at two in the morning," said neighbor Irvin Gomez.
Investigators said the pair likely got the driver's licenses by breaking into unlocked vehicles, and they could've grabbed those credit card applications out of people's mailboxes.
"My family just went through that twice in the last two weeks," said Gomez.
Gomez said he wonders if the couple is responsible for trying to steal his parents' identities.
Investigators said there could be thousands of victims, and they believe the pair had similar operations in other parts of the state.
Police said they believe there are at least two other suspects.
Wilder could walk out on bond on Wednesday.
Eckert has been out of jail on bond, so on Wednesday, the judge revoked that bond and did not grant a new one.
WFTV
