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GREENSBORO — Police said they have found the four men responsible for one of the largest heists in the city’s history.

Greensboro police said the men face charges in the September break-in at the Diamond Gallery at 2811 Battleground Ave. that netted about $1.2 million in jewelry.

Police identified the suspects as:

-- Abelardo Pena-Cardentey, 32, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is due back in Greensboro today.

-- Jose Adonis Betancourt-Forras, 43, of Miami, Fla. He remains in jail in Knoxville, Tenn., on an unrelated charge, and police are trying to extradite him to Greensboro.

-- Maykel Roque, 26, of Opa-locka, Fla. He is being held in jail in Key West, Fla., and is awaiting extradition to Greensboro.

-- Yenier Cardentey, 29, of Hialeah, Fla. He is due back in Greensboro today.

The four men face charges of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods/property, conspiracy to commit a felony, possession of burglary tools, and safecracking.

Greensboro police said the jewelry store was burglarized after 6 p.m. Sept. 19, when it closed for the weekend. The suspects entered the store through the roof and broke into three safes inside.

Employees arriving for work on Sept. 21, a Monday, discovered the break-in.

Greensboro police Capt. Janice Rogers said three of the suspects in the Greensboro break-in — Betancourt-Forras, Cardentey and Pena-Cardentey — were among five men arrested in Knoxville, Tenn., in December after a pawn shop was broken into there.

Cardentey and Pena-Cardentey posted bail and returned to Florida.

Rogers said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement helped Greensboro detectives track down the three suspects in Florida. The suspects were arrested between Jan. 25 and Jan. 29.

Rogers said the suspects have no connection to the Greensboro area.

Rogers called the break-in one of the largest property crimes in the city’s history based on the value of the items stolen, and she said the burglary was well-organized.

Police have recovered some of the stolen jewelry, but Rogers did not give a dollar value .

Contact John Newsom at 373-7312 or john.newsom@news-record.com