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Break-in Bandits Caught Red-Handed
PROVIDENCE, RI – In a daring break-in, two men cut their way through the roof of a Target department store in Smithfield, R.I., stealing over $14,000 from an ATM and a controlled substance from a CVS Pharmacy located inside the store.
Liridon Gashi, 33, of Bronx, NY, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit larceny from a financial institution, bank larceny, conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances, and burglary involving controlled substances in U.S. District Court in Providence. His co-defendant, Epirot Krasniqi, 27, of Brooklyn, NY, had pleaded guilty on May 11, 2018.
According to court documents, Gashi and Krasniqi, equipped with hand tools and two-way radios, cut through the roof of the Target store in the early morning hours of October 10, 2017. They then forced open an ATM, stealing $14,720. The two men then cut through the wall of a CVS Pharmacy inside the store, broke open a locked cabinet holding controlled substances, and stole a prescription package of Oxycodone.
While the burglary and robbery were taking place, Smithfield police officers responded to a report of an electronic burglary alarm and began to search the premises. After discovering the hole in the roof, officers began searching approximately 30 air conditioning units located on the roof. The two men were found hiding inside separate air conditioning units. Also discovered inside the store and in various air conditioning units on the roof were the tools used in the break-in of the store and the ATM, the cash stolen from the ATM, and the drugs stolen from the pharmacy.
Krasniqi and Gashi were charged and arraigned in Rhode Island state court and released on bail. Federal arrest warrants were issued for both men following the return of a federal indictment on November 7, 2017. Krasniqi was arrested by FBI agents in New York that same day. Gashi was located and arrested by FBI agents in San Francisco, CA, on March 7, 2018.
Liridon Gashi is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2018, while Epirot Krasniqi is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, 2018. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Denise M. Barton. Gashi is detained in federal custody, while Krasniqi is detained in Pennsylvania state custody awaiting trial for burglary and related charges in connection with a break-in at a Turkey Hill, Pa., convenience store that occurred on November 24, 2014.
The matter was investigated by the Smithfield Police Department, with the assistance of the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force.
Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: Violent Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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