Probe Into Money Laundering, Drugs Leads to Multiple Raids

At least a dozen federal drug agents and Riverside County law enforcement officers raided a Costa Mesa car dealership Wednesday, removing as many as 90 exotic cars that authorities believe are associated with a large-scale methamphetamine manufacturing and money-laundering scheme.

Police said the raid on the Auto Market in the 2100 block of Harbor Boulevard was one of several carried out simultaneously in Orange and Los Angeles counties and the Inland Empire as officers served 15 search warrants and made a dozen arrests.

It was unclear if any of the arrests were made in Costa Mesa, although Mike Angel, the Auto Market’s manager, said that owner Nader Amirvand had been taken in for questioning.

“We’re very shocked,” Angel said from an El Taco parking lot next door as TV helicopters hovered. “They have no evidence of anything.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department issued a press release Wednesday evening describing the raids as the culmination of a two-year investigation that included many electronic wiretaps and surveillance operations. The department said the investigation resulted in 28 indictments by the San Bernardino district attorney’s office and that county’s grand jury.

“It’s a big bust,” said Jose Martinez, a special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which participated in the raids.

In addition to hauling off Lamborghinis, Mercedes, Jaguars, Ferraris, Porsches and Bentleys--some worth several hundred thousand dollars apiece--police at the locations confiscated many weapons, illegal drugs and cash estimated at $400,000. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said it would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. today, at which officers would display the items seized and name the suspects arrested.

The Costa Mesa raid, Angel said, began about 9 a.m., when investigators with a search warrant asked employees to stay behind police tape as computers, paperwork and the cars were hauled away. The Auto Market, in business 18 years, was located in Fountain Valley before moving to its current address two years ago.