22 Arrested in Car Theft Sting Operation

A car theft ring that allegedly specialized in stealing sport utility vehicles and smuggling them to Latin America was broken up this week as the result of an undercover operation that put 22 people behind bars, authorities said Friday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. John S. Bryan said the suspects, all from the Los Angeles area, stole more than $2.5 million worth of the popular vehicles. Then, he said, they altered the vehicle identity numbers and resold them.

Undercover investigators allegedly purchased more than 53 fully equipped stolen vehicles, such as Toyota Landcruisers and Lexus 450s, from the suspects during the course of the 11-month sting, dubbed “Operation Hot Wheels.” Authorities said some of the vehicles, which cost well over $50,000, were sold for as little as $6,500.

The operation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the local Task Force for Regional Auto Theft. The task force, formed to combat the county’s $360-million-a-year auto theft problem, consists of law enforcement officers from the Sheriff’s Department, Department of Motor Vehicles, California Highway Patrol and a number of local police agencies.