Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
‘Chop shop’ bust
may cut car theft
The operation processed up to
By Leila Fujimori
$300,000 worth of stolen vehicles
Star-BulletinPolice are predicting a marked decrease in the number of auto thefts on Oahu after the bust of an alleged Ewa Beach "chop shop" and auto theft ring.
Police and FBI agents arrested three people and are searching for three other suspects allegedly involved in the operation that processed up to $300,000 worth of stolen vehicles.
The suspects used vehicle identification numbers from salvage autos and trucks purchased at auction and sold the stolen vehicles as used cars, police said.
The operation also included dismantling salvaged or stolen vehicles and selling them for parts.
Police yesterday recovered vehicles altered at a Pohakupuna Road house -- six on Saturday and four yesterday -- four Acura Integras, four Honda sedans, a Plymouth sedan and a Dodge half-ton truck -- and impounded them at Ford Island. They also hauled away two truckloads of auto parts.
Police are trying to locate another six to eight vehicles. Auto theft charges are still pending against three men arrested over the weekend in the operation at 91-403 Pohakupuna Road. The suspects were released pending investigation. A woman residing at the house was not arrested.
Police said tow trucks were used in the scheme to steal the cars.
The value of the vehicles police hope to recover is estimated at between $150,000 to $300,000.
Police Lt. Alan Anami warned used car buyers to be careful. If someone is selling a car for well below its value, it's probably stolen, he said. But in the Ewa Beach case, many prices were reasonable, he said.
Police and FBI have spent from six to eight months investigating the operation by computer checks of salvage vehicle id numbers.
The FBI stepped in because tampering with VIN numbers violates federal law.
