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WEST VALLEY CITY -- Police made 23 arrests Tuesday night in connection with a vehicle theft ring responsible for an estimated $500,000 in car thefts.
Four of those in custody -- suspected ringleaders Juan Rubio, Mike Suarez, Sam Del Rio and Miguel Jimenez -- will likely be charged with state R.I.C.O. (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) charges, according to West Valley City police Sgt. Mike Powell.
"Since we started this investigation, we have already seen a huge decrease in stolen vehicles." Sgt. Mike Powell
The group would allegedly steal Honda vehicles, disassemble them for parts, and "dump" their shells throughout the valley.
Powell said his department estimates at least 100 Hondas have been stolen and chopped by the group.
"The group would then sell the engines, transmissions, wheels, seats and any other parts they had taken off the stolen vehicles on various local internet classified sites and on the street," according to police.
Powell said the group would also buy Honda car shells at car auctions, then add their stolen parts and sell them as complete vehicles.
"There were probably a lot of these parts ... that are going to be out there among the street racing population," Powell said.
It's likely that many of the people who purchased the parts online had no idea they were stolen.
Powell said authorities have been investigating the theft ring for several months, and it's hard to know how long it had been going on prior to that.
"Since we started this investigation, we have already seen a huge decrease in stolen vehicles," Powell said.
West Valley police, Motor Vehicle police, and the Joint Criminal Apprehension Team aided in the investigations.
E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com
