Last week, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) announced the arrests of 51 individuals whom they believe to have participated in a large-scale motorcycle theft ring. The investigation initially started out in Southern California, where several reports of motorcycles where coming into the local authorities. However, officers soon realized these weren't isolated events, and that similar thefts in the the San Diego and Las Vegas were also connected.
Officers in the Vehicle Theft Division of the CHP were given the task of tracking down the criminals responsible for stealing hundreds of motorcycles in operation "Wheel Spin." The exact size and scope of the theft ring is still unclear, but authorities say they've already recovered 110 stolen motorcycles along with numerous parts and accessories. The costs of just the recovered motorcycles and parts comes to an estimated $850,000, and that doesn't factor in the stolen motorcycles which are still on the streets or chopped up already.
The CHP believe three men, Felipe Galicia, 40, Daniel Hernandez, 21, and Victor Coca, 45, are the men behind the massive motorcycle theft ring. These men focused on stealing high-end sports bikes and bike parts. Once the parts were stolen, they would post the parts for sale on places like eBay, Craigslist and Facebook. Rather than using their own accounts, however, they would use accounts from their friends and acquaintances. If convicted of all charged, the three men listed could face 29 years in prison.
In total, there were 51 arrests made in relation to the massive motorcycle theft ring. Some of these people were involved in directly stealing the motorcycles and/or parts, while others were involved in selling or performing the transactions. "It was determined that many of the suspects were using the Internet and social media to sell and distribute the stolen motorcycles and components," said CHP officer Dan Bower.
The theft ring went on for several years before officers were finally able to bring it down. Once the bikes were stolen, the thieves would break them down into parts to sell online. And since these parts didn't contain serial numbers, it was difficult for authorities to catch.
As the investigation went on, authorities discovered that many of criminals participating in the theft ring were involved in other, unrelated crimes. The state's Attorney General's office has filed criminal complaints on nearly 100 other individuals whom they believe participated in burglaries, money laundering, and a slew of other crimes.
