Pair busted running $500K ‘Louis Vuitton storefront’ in Miami Gardens home: MDSO

An Instagram-famous “Louis Vuitton storefront” that amassed hundreds of thousands of views online turned out to be a lucrative counterfeit scheme run out of a Miami Gardens home, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Yuri Rafael Velazquez-Garcia, 33, and Mayrelis Marquez Plans, 32, were booked Tuesday into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of selling counterfeit goods.

The investigation began in July after a detective found an Instagram post by user @crafty.ceo, who has more than 100,000 followers, showing off what he dubbed the “Louis Vuitton Storefront of Hialeah,” according to the pair’s arrest affidavits.

The video, which as of Thursday remained online with over 700,000 views, shows a house transformed into a makeshift boutique with handbags, clothing and shoes on display. Velazquez-Garcia is seen escorting visitors inside.

The house, located at 2025 NW 185th Street, is a four-bedroom, three-bathroom property owned by Velazquez-Garcia, according to county property records. Though marketed online as a Hialeah location, records show it sits in a Miami Gardens subdivision.

Deputies began surveillance and said they observed “activity consistent with counterfeit sales.” Social media pages tied to the couple, including yuri_fashion_house, yroficial_01 and marquemayrelis, further advertised the fake storefront.

On Aug. 13, undercover detectives entered the home, escorted by Marquez Plans, and purchased a Louis Vuitton Capucines BB handbag with a retail price $7,550 and a shirt, according to the arrest report.

During a second undercover buy on Aug. 27, the detective returned and again was let in by Marquez Plans and purchased a Louis Vuitton bathing suit ($845), belt ($670), cap ($720), and shirt ($1,200) — all for $250 in cash, the arrest reports laid out. Velazquez-Garcia provided change after Plans completed the sale. The transaction was recorded, and all items were photographed and later verified by Louis Vuitton’s brand protection team as counterfeit, deputies said.

On Tuesday, detectives with the Organized Crime Bureau, alongside intellectual property specialists, executed a search warrant at the home. Velazquez-Garcia and Marquez Plans were taken into custody, and investigators seized more than 500 counterfeit items — valued at more than $500,000.

Court records show the pair bonded out of jail on Thursday. They are due back in court on Nov. 7.