Historic auto theft sting nets 54 suspects
By: PHILIP K. IRELAND - Staff Writer | ∞
SAN DIEGO -- In what authorities are calling the largest auto theft sting in San Diego County history, police indicted 73 alleged car thieves Thursday and recovered 160 stolen cars valued at more than $1.9 million.
The operation, dubbed "the Southside Blitz," used a police-run "chop shop" to attract suspected car thieves looking to sell stolen cars. The operation also netted $6,000 in illegal drugs and a dozen guns, including automatic assault rifles, authorities said.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, flanked by 15 law enforcement officials including Carlsbad Police Chief Tom Zoll, touted the operation in a press conference Friday in the county Hall of Justice in San Diego.
"This bust puts car thieves on notice in San Diego County: We will go undercover to investigate you, we will arrest you and we will prosecute you," said Dumanis.
Investigators said they found no evidence of a highly organized theft ring, organized gang involvement or connections to cross-border traffickers in stolen cars.
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said 250,000 cars are stolen each year in California. About 24,000 of those are stolen in San Diego. Stolen cars cost insurance companies $15 billion annually, Poizner said. Those costs are passed on to insurance consumers.
"That's a $500 fraud tax on every man, woman and child in California." he said.
Poizner said he is conducting similar sting operations throughout California.
The year-long operation was conducted by the Regional Auto Theft Taskforce, a collection of 16 local, state and federal agencies, including the county Sheriff's department, the California Insurance Commission and the FBI. Police officers from Carlsbad, Oceanside and Escondido also took part in the investigation.
The sting began in 2006 when officers set up shop in a Chula Vista warehouse, displaying various "stolen" car, motorcycle and truck parts for sale.
"It attracted criminals from all over the county," said California Highway Patrol Capt. Lisa Wrobel, who ran the sting. "The storefront was so successful that on many occasions we had crooks lined up outside waiting to sell us vehicles, almost like a drive-thru. They were selling us vehicles, drugs, weapons ---- whatever they had to fund their criminal enterprises ---- and our undercover detectives were happy to assist them."
On Thursday, 200 officers fanned out around the county with arrest warrants, Dumanis said. In addition to 25 suspects already in custody, officials arrested another 29 Thursday. More than a dozen suspects are still at large.
Three of those individuals were arrested on insurance fraud charges for trying to dispose of their cars and collect an insurance settlement. Authorities said they did not have information on the suspects' hometowns available Friday.
Four of the 160 cars bought by undercover officers during the sting came from North County: two from Encinitas and two from Escondido, Wrobel said. All but one have been returned to their owners.
The probe cost about $50,000, Wrobel said. Undercover cops paid between $200 and $400 for most of the cars. The most they paid was $2,000 for a $53,000 car with 1,000 miles on the odometer. Wrobel said she was proud of her officers for being frugal with taxpayer money by bargaining thieves down from their asking prices.
Suspects were arrested on various auto theft, drug and weapons charges, and could face fines and prison terms of three years to life, Dumanis said. Two of those arrested already have two felony convictions. Under California's "three strikes" legislation, they face potential life sentences if convicted of a third felony. Seven more suspects have one felony conviction. Their sentences could be doubled under the "three strikes" law, Dumanis said.
Contact Philip K. Ireland at (760) 901-4043 or online at pireland@nctimes.com.
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1234san diego wrote on Nov 16, 2007 11:46 PM:Left my car for 10 minutes in the Mira Mesa Edwards shopping center parking lot last Friday and came back to find someone had ripped my steering column apart and attempted to drill out my ignition. Of course they took everything in my car!! What floored me was that even though there were fingerprints all over my window, the police didn't print or do anything. You basically just call in your report . No officers come to the scene even if you lose a $40,000 car. Since my car was an SUV it was probably heading to Mexico. Unfortunately even if they checked every car heading across the border, by the time one gets through to the police (15 minutes on hold) and the report gets into the system you are at best an hour out. Thus any car taken in SD could be safely across the border by that time. PS. Edwards/Ross shopping center is reportedly one of the worst places one could park. ...
Rocky wrote on Nov 17, 2007 6:56 AM:They're not just chopping cars in Mex , they're also re-vining them , cleaning the titles and bringing them back across for sale in the US. Identity theft isn't just for people , it's for cars too. If you ever get a parking ticket in a place you've never been....your car has probably been "cloned". BTW, nobody is going to chop a late model Suburban. They're going to chop a '91 Honda so they can sell the motor to that moron in Miramesa that blows engines up twice a week pretending he's a street racer.
LOL wrote on Nov 17, 2007 8:07 AM:Excellent point Rocky...lol
Steve wrote on Nov 17, 2007 8:22 AM:In Southern California, every time I go to my car, I am thrilled it hasn't been stolen. In one case, my stolen car was spotted in Tijuana with Mexican plates. The insurance company was afraid to retrieve it because in another instance, a victim saw his car, jumped in to take it back to the USA and a Tijuana police officer shot at him several times. In California, it is illegal to protect your car if you actually see someone stealing it. What a Legislature! or system of justice! or what?
Kurstin wrote on Nov 17, 2007 2:40 PM:This is a great example of law enforcement doing the job well. My thanks to all of the officers whose hard work it takes to get information the court will use. The good work done by RATT will be denigrated by those on threads who think the only people who join law enforcement are criminals, racists and people with control issues. Those of you who are of that ilk, stew in your juice.
QUOTE FOR SAME STORY BY LOCAL TV STATION wrote on Nov 17, 2007 4:28 PM:"auto theft is becoming an increasing problem in San Diego County, in part because of the region's proximity to Mexico"
DOES ANYONE REALY BELIEVE THIS? wrote on Nov 17, 2007 4:30 PM:"Investigators said they found no evidence of a highly organized theft ring, organized gang involvement or connections to cross-border traffickers in stolen cars."
Thankful for the operation!! wrote on Nov 17, 2007 5:33 PM:To Kurstin wrote on Nov 17, 2007 2:40 PM: My point (1234san diego) was not to denigrate the police but to illustrate the point that stealing cars in San Diego is so common that the police don't even come out to write a report or fingerprint. Unfortunately since we are so close to Mexico our cars can be across the border before they are actually reported in the system. SDPD will not retrieve cars in Mexico however I heard the highway patrol will pick up LoJack vehicles and other found cars. Since my car was a SUV, I was told it was probably heading to Mexico or was going to be used as a load vehicle for illegals.
Syl wrote on Nov 17, 2007 8:58 PM:I hope that the NCT will release a list of names of the suspects, when it becomes public knowldege.
Idea wrote on Nov 19, 2007 9:17 AM:Stolen cars cost insurance companies $15 billion annually...so next time police officers are looking for a raise, call these insurance companies for one. Why should our tax dollars fund these projects? All we are helping are the real crooks, the insurance companies. Or at least charge a fee for such a service that helps them net more money from people who pay increasing fees while never making one claim.
Watcher wrote on Nov 19, 2007 10:30 AM:Question: Did the RATT team members encourage suspects to go out and steal cars? If so, won't the suspects be able to argue entrapment, and get off?
David wrote on Nov 19, 2007 9:03 PM:To Wachter, A person is 'entrapped' when he is induced or persuaded by law enforcement officers or their agents to commit a crime that he had no previous intent to commit. If the cops are running a shop where people bring stolen cars already stolen then the crime has already been completed. To Idea, IT is you and I that pay the price of higher insurance (unless of course if you don't pay insurance on your car which is illegal). The police in this case are being proactive against a hugh problem, but I think that fact is wasted on you. And to 1234SanDiego, these auto theives are smart, they have technical knowledge to steal a car. They wear gloves, it is not that hard to figure out. It is a waste of time to dust for prints, especially since there are such few good quality surfaces available on a car to print. The show CSI is way off reality. The police don't waste their time with this type of thing.
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