Redland tenant ran giant illegal dump, cops say, then tried to extort landlord for $100K
After neighbors called about a steady stream of trash piling up on a five-acre property in rural Redland, the land owner contacted his tenant seeking an explanation.
According to Miami-Dade police, he got a threat instead of an answer. They say that Edel Reyes-Arteaga, who had leased the land at 17800 SW 197th Ave. for the past six years, tried to squeeze his landlord, threatening to “destroy and fill the property with trash” if the owner didn’t fork over $100,000.
But, according to police, Reyes-Arteaga was already well into doing just that anyway.
Five weeks ago, Reyes-Arteaga, 38, was arrested in a sting operation run by Miami-Dade’s illegal dumping squad. He faces charges of failing to obtain proper environmental permits, littering and extortion and making threats. The property, police said, was filled with everything from construction debris to rusted tables, old windows and lots and lots of worn rubber tires. There was even an old travel trailer in the mix.
“He was facing eviction. He came through on that,” said Detective Ryan Cowart of the county’s illegal dumping unit. “Sadly, it’s not an uncommon thing. We had another arrest that was similar a few weeks earlier.”
Reyes-Arteaga’s attorney, Art Taquechel, called the extortion charge nonsense. He said it was just part of an option-to-buy effort between his client and the owner that went on for months.
“The charges were concocted by the owner to get Edel out, because he found a buyer,” Taquechel said.
Illegal dumping is a persistent problem across the county, particularly in sparsely populated areas like South Miami-Dade, which is checker-boarded with farms, nurseries and open land. In the past few months, Miami-Dade’s Illegal Dumping Unit has stepped up enforcement, especially so on properties like the one on Southwest 197th Avenue, whose tenant they say was making money as the piles of rusted appliances and stacks of rubber tires grew.
Busts also are becoming more frequent. Only three weeks before Reyes-Arteaga’s arrest, the unit charged two other men for not having a required permit and illegal littering after they were stopped driving dump trucks to illegal dump sites within two miles of the Southwest 197th Avenue property.
In December, a Miami Herald reporter accompanied the county unit as it swept old rusted and abandoned watercraft from a South Dade lake and looked for clues on garbage dumped in a South Dade field.
“These people do pop up on our radar,” Cowart said. “It just takes time to catch them.”
For Redland residents, illegal dumping has morphed into a community problem.
Michael Wanek, president of Redland Homes and Farms Association, created his group two years ago with the intention of bringing attention to illegal dumping and unpermitted lots for abandoned or illegally parked trucks. Membership has grown to about 50 households. Wanek, who owns a five-acre lot, said he noticed someone dumped tires on his own property just a few weeks ago.
After flying his drone over and eyeballing the property on Southwest 197th Avenue, Wanek said his jaw dropped.
“I have never seen anything like this, except for maybe a landfill in India,” he said. “This is the most egregious thing I have ever seen. This is a three-alarm bell. This is a code red.”
Surrounded by manicured farms, the dump site on Southwest 197th Avenue was disguised a bit by a five-foot chain-link fence covered in a blue tarp. But it was clear from outside that the tract, which has no sign or address marked anywhere, was a mess during a visit last month. The swale was littered with plastics and beer cans and Corona bottles.
Wanek’s aerial footage offered even more evidence of trash. The property was littered with fencing, plastic barrels and old trees and roots. Wanek’s aerial photos also showed things like old ladders, broken window frames and even a beach umbrella. A huge mound of tires, which aren’t allowed in most landfills in Florida, fill one corner of the dump site.
Tere Florin, spokeswoman for Miami-Dade’s Department of Environmental Resources, said the county inspected the property and determined the debris poses no immediate threat to the public’s health or underground water supplies.
“There is currently no evidence of fuel, drums or other waste that would lead to contamination,” Florin said. “DERM staff has met with the property owner, who is working to remove the waste and is cooperating with DERM to follow best practices for disposal.”
Miami-Dade property records list the owner as Fidalgo Auto Center Inc. State records list a Carlos Fidalgo as the company’s director and registered agent. Reyes-Arteaga’s arrest report doesn’t provide the full name of the land owner but does identify a man named “Carlos” as the property owner and victim. Attempts to reach Fidalgo this week were unsuccessful.
Police said they learned about the property in early February from the land owner, who had been alerted by neighbors. The owner, after allegedly being extorted, contacted police. Soon, detectives said they noticed a white Ford truck with a black dump bed loaded with trash and followed it to the property, where it was unloaded.
According to Cowart, Reyes-Arteaga or associates would find truckers looking for a cheaper dumping rate than the county provides through the “coconut telegraph,” or by just hanging around county dump sites, and offering drivers an alternative for as cheap as $100 a pop. The county charges $93.11 per ton of waste at facilities that often have lengthy lines.
Cowart said his unit has been working with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office gearing up on enforcement. And he said, at least in the Reyes-Arteaga case, “we have a victim on this one.” Usually, he said, the victim is just the state of Florida.
County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she has restored some funding to enforcement, installing security cameras and bringing back a midnight patrol unit.
As for Reyes-Arteaga, police contend he’s a repeat offender. Last November, stolen equipment and a trailer were recovered from the property but there are no court records indicating he was ever charged. WSVN Channel 7 first reported about his arrest late last month.
Mary Waters, a former community council member, said she’s aware dumping issues are a countywide problem. It just seems, she said, that South Dade residents are “screaming the loudest about this.” The 32-year Redland resident and farmer believes the trash can’t be good for ground water supplies or the soil and that the loose debris could turn into dangerous projectiles in a hurricane.
“Everybody thinks this is the Wild West and they can get away with it,” said Waters. “And sadly, sometimes they do.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
