Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force stops high-end vehicle theft ring

Two suspects arrested and more than 16 vehicles seized

SWAT teams with the Goodyear Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), along with detectives from the Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force (AVTTF), served three search warrants early the morning of September 10, netting 16 vehicles valued at over $400,000 and the arrest of two suspects.

The warrants were a culmination of a six-month investigation with the Vehicle Theft Task Force and Goodyear Police Department into a group that was carjacking high-end vehicles in Mexico, switching the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs), and then importing them into the United States for profit. The main suspect of the investigation was arrested at his home in Goodyear. The suspect, a Mexican national who resides in the United States illegally and has been deported on more than one occasion, is a 28-year-old male living in Goodyear. He was arrested without incident and four of the vehicles at his home were seized. Twelve other vehicles were seized at other locations in the Valley (one in Glendale and the others in Phoenix).

This criminal organization is believed to have stolen over 100 vehicles since starting their operation. This group would import the stolen cars, drive them for a short period of time, and then sell them or trade them.

The Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force (AVTTF) is comprised of city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies participating in a concerted effort to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals and criminal organizations that profit from the theft of motor vehicles and related crimes.