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What began as a case of hundreds of missing cinnamon rolls and an alleged $3,100 theft took an unexpected turn when police determined the delivery driver hadn't stolen them at all: He had been arrested by U.S. Border Patrol on his way to make the delivery.
Julie Pierre, the 21-year-old owner of Sunrise, Florida-based Roll & Dough, hired an Uber courier on Aug. 22 to deliver about 350 of her viral cinnamon rolls to the Yellow Green Farmers Market in nearby Hollywood, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The order never arrived.
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Unable to reach the driver, Pierre initially believed he had taken off with thousands of dollars in merchandise. She shared the apparent theft with her hundreds of thousands of social media followers — drawing widespread attention to the missing pastries.
But Sunrise police said there was no theft.
The owner of a South Florida-based bakery initially thought an Uber courier made off with her viral cinnamon rolls (not pictured). Instead, it turned out the driver had been arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. (iStock)
"The investigation determined that a theft did not occur," Sunrise Police Officer Victor Fortune told Fox News Digital.
Instead, the delivery driver was stopped and taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol in Hollywood while he was still on his way to the delivery destination, Fortune said.
Border Patrol identified the driver as Ivan Dario Rico Molano, a Colombian citizen.
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Agents stopped a silver Kia Carnival just before 9 a.m. Aug. 22 on southbound Interstate 95 after a records check showed the vehicle's registered owner was an immigrant without legal status, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
During the encounter, Molano acknowledged being in the U.S. without legal authorization, according to the CBP.
We're still out $3,100. Stolen or not, we suffered a loss.
The agency said he entered the country legally in May 2021 but remained beyond his authorized period of stay.
Molano was arrested and taken to a Border Patrol station for processing, according to the CBP.
The Uber driver was a Colombian citizen who had remained in the country beyond his authorized period of stay, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (iStock)
The cinnamon rolls, meanwhile, stayed behind.
During the encounter, Molano was allowed to contact another person to take possession of the vehicle, which still contained the cinnamon rolls and their storage containers, Fortune said.
That person later contacted Sunrise police to arrange to return the items, Fortune said.
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On Aug. 27 — five days after the rolls were supposed to reach the farmers market — Sunrise police recovered the cinnamon rolls and containers and returned them to Pierre.
By then, however, the pastries could no longer be sold and had to be discarded, Pierre told the Sun Sentinel.
"We're still out $3,100," Pierre said. "Stolen or not, we suffered a loss."
The recovered cinnamon rolls (not pictured) had to be discarded when they were finally returned. (iStock)
Attempts by Fox News Digital to contact Pierre for comment were unsuccessful.
The bizarre explanation brought an end to an episode that generated widespread attention online after Pierre initially accused the courier of stealing the order.
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Pierre subsequently corrected the allegation after learning from police what had happened.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the bakery apologized for describing the incident as a theft "before learning the complete circumstances."
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The statement also stressed that Pierre's report to police did not lead to Molano's arrest.
Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital. He covers various lifestyle topics, with an emphasis on food and drink.
