If you live in California and have had your Corvette, Camaro, or other high-performance vehicle stolen recently, it might have ended up at a chop shop in San Joaquin County. Members of the San Joaquin County Auto Theft Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence in the rural part of the county, hitting paydirt as they took down what looked to be a substantial operation.
Camaro thefts soar 1,171% in Los Angeles.
According to Tracy Police Department, which took part in the operation, two Corvettes and 10 Camaros were recovered. A C7 Z06 is featured in the photos released by police. You can also see in the photos the department shared that some of those were in the process of being dismantled.
Police estimate the value of the vehicles recovered is over $600,000.
Also present at the property were an array of vehicle parts. Those include body panels, seats, doors, plus at least one engine and transmission. Adding the value of those into the mix could push the dollar amount up significantly.
During the search, three men were arrested and charged with operating a chop shop and possession of a stolen vehicle. With any luck, this will lead to more arrests and successful prosecutions with actual consequences for all involved.
We know everyone gets fired up when they see busts like this, especially if they’ve had a car stolen in the past. That’s understandable; we don’t like car thieves and what they do, either.
However, we know there are people who buy parts online or in person for suspiciously cheap prices and don’t want to ask questions or “know too much” about where the parts came from. These chop shops wouldn’t be profitable if there weren’t people willing to buy what’s obviously stolen.
Images via Tracy Police Department/X
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