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.