The Nation - News from April 7, 1985

A multimillion-dollar operation where stolen cars were stripped for spare parts destined for South Carolina and Puerto Rico was raided by police, who arrested 21 persons in New York City, authorities said. A majority of the cars, usually Chevrolets, Buicks and Oldsmobiles, were stolen in the Bronx and Queens, police said. Within hours, the cars would be cut into pieces and sorted into boxes. Huge container trucks would then take the parts either to Greer, S. C., or to Port Elizabeth, N. J., then shipped to Puerto Rico, police said.