Grapevine Police say they have busted a group of thieves who stole $10 million worth of high-tech products from warehouses across the Metroplex.
Seven suspects have now been charged in the ring, which investigators say is part of a larger criminal trend targeting warehouses near DFW International Airport.
Surveillance video taken from a Grapevine warehouse in May shows a masked man punching a hole in the entrance door and loading $500,000 worth of Oculus virtual reality headsets and Meta smart glasses into a stolen truck. It was reflected.
“The employee returned to the warehouse and noticed a hole in one of the garage doors leading into the warehouse,” said Sgt. Oscar Ramirez and the Grapevine Police Department. “And of course a lot of property was taken and pallets of property were lost.”
Grapevine Police received a report from the warehouse, and crime analysts compiled surveillance video and information about the scene to see if other police departments had similar reports of theft.
“It was put out and there was an immediate response,” Ramirez said.
Police said they committed seven robberies across Dallas and Tarrant counties between August 2023 and June 2024, stealing approximately $10 million worth of high-tech products.
“So this was something very special in terms of holding people accountable for the crimes they committed,” Ramirez said.
That accountability took place on August 14th.
Grapevine police staked out the electronics warehouse, and drone footage from the department showed what happened next. Video showed the suspects arriving, stealing a truck, backing it into a warehouse and beginning to cut a hole in the doorway. A short time later, police arrived with lights and sirens blaring.
Investigators said they made one arrest that night and now have seven suspects, who have been charged with felony organized criminal activity.
Police said warehouse robberies have become more frequent in areas near DFW Airport as the metroplex has grown.
“But obviously, this was very important. And what was special about it was that we were able to solve it and connect so many people to this particular group. ” Ramirez said.
This is the third local or interstate criminal organization dismantled in North Texas since late September. Two months ago, police busted a multi-state theft ring operating out of a home in Little Elm, and last week, NBC 5 reported that a national ring was stealing millions of dollars in cars from DFW Airport. It was reported.
