According to a Glen Cove police report, a multi-agency task force comprised of the Glen Cove Police Department, Old Brookville Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and the FBI has just concluded a two year investigation into what has been referred to as a "Mission Impossible" type, high-tech burglary ring. Twelve defendants were arrested on or around July 31 and arraigned in U.S. Federal Court in East Islip on charges of transportation and receipt of stolen property. Arrest warrants were executed in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida.

According to the complaint, the defendants are leaders of a crew investigators believe responsible for more than 50 burglaries, mostly commercial, that took place in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, upstate New York and Connecticut dating back to March 1995 and resulting in the loss of more than $10 million in property. The property was fenced through a defendant who owns a warehouse in New Jersey, where the stolen property was ultimately transported.

Glen Cove police involvement began in the spring of 2000 after professional style burglaries at Kay-Bee Toys and Tweezerman in Glen Cove were linked to the crew. It was a very sophisticated operation, with the burglars, often outfitted in black, carrying flashlights, wire cutters, utility knives, chisels and hydraulic jacks to break in to their targeted premises. They by-passed telephone and alarm systems, employed lookouts, and carried police scanners, walkie-talkies and handguns. It was not uncommon for the crew to break in by breaking through walls or cutting through rooftops and dropping in.

The investigation took the investigators through several states across the country. Several core members of the crew were found to be involved in narcotics trafficking and large quantities of drugs and cash were seized.

The case took on yet another twist when task force members learned that government secrets were being stolen and offered for sale to New York area criminal suspects and/or their attorneys. The leak was traced to Las Vegas, Nevada, and an elaborate sting operation was set up, resulting in eight arrests.

As the scope of the case expanded to several states, the FBI recommended that detectives from the Glen Cove, Old Brookville and Nassau County Police Departments be deputized as U.S. marshals, giving them police powers to effectively operate beyond the boundaries of New York State.

The spirit of cooperation between the task force members and the professionalism of the agencies involved was undoubtedly the deciding factor in the successful conclusion of the investigation, according to the Glen Cove police report.

Detectives Vetrone, Nagle, Grella, Schlee, Officers Maerz and McDonnell and Sgt. Fitzpatrick were involved in the operation.