Chicago Diamond Heist Suspect Arrested At Miami Airport

MIAMI, FL — A Florida man accused of stealing two diamonds from a Jewelers Row store earlier this month was arrested Sunday in Miami while trying to board an overseas flight, according to Chicago police. Tamaz Hubel, 67, of Sunny Island, Florida, was charged with felony theft for allegedly swiping the jewels, which have a combined estimated worth of $170,000, police said in a release Monday.

According to police, Hubel walked into a jewelry store in the 0-100 block of East Madison Street in the Loop in the early afternoon of June 6. Inside, he allegedly concealed two of the jeweler's diamonds and then walked out of the shop with the gems, police said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Hubel once he was identified by investigators as a suspect in the theft, according to police. Detectives worked with Chicago- and Miami-based agents for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as officers with the Miami-Dade County Police Department, and Hubel was apprehended Sunday, June 24, at Miami-Dade International Airport. He had been trying to board a plane headed to France, police said.

Hubel remains in Miami while he awaits extradition to Chicago.

Tamaz Hubel (Photo via Chicago Police Department | Miami-Dade County Police Department)