There’s a saying that everything’s bigger in Texas. While Alaska may have a counterargument or two to that claim, when it comes to multi-million dollar car burglaries, Texas’ notoriety may be the better choice. For example, a major car theft ring based in North Texas was recently busted.
A multi-year investigation by the Grapevine Police Department has resulted in the arrest of seven men accused of more than 200 car thefts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with the stolen vehicles valued at an estimated $9.3 million.
According to the police, since 2022, the area has seen a sharp increase in car thefts, especially in public parking lots. However, between January 2023 and March 2024, there were 316 reports of stolen cars, averaging more than 20 cars per month. Notably, one month after the car theft suspect was arrested, the police had zero reports of stolen cars. Is this a coincidence?
CBS News reported that the suspects, who ranged in age from 19 to 27, were after high-performance cars, including Lamborghinis. But their main targets were muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger. The Chevrolet Corvette and Jeep Cherokee were also favorite models of the group. A major breakthrough in the investigation came when crime analysts discovered a stolen car that had been used in another theft.
“After an extensive investigation, we were able to identify the suspect vehicle,” said Amanda McNew, media manager for the Grapevine Police Department. “From there, things quickly escalated and the investigation went full-on.”
In a coordinated, multi-agency effort, SWAT teams swooped on scenes in Dallas and Garland, seizing several stolen vehicles, technology to reprogram key fobs, and other evidence related to millions of dollars worth of auto thefts.
When police searched the Garland neighborhood home, they were aware that the home had security cameras and that the occupants may have been armed. There were also rumors that the home had a tiger. Fortunately, the tiger was never found, but the firearms, GPS tracker, and other stolen items were recovered.
According to court documents, the group resold the cars to unsuspecting buyers and has previously been caught transporting them to other U.S. states and Mexico. Grapevine police also said the suspects’ operations have become increasingly violent. At the time of their arrests, some of the suspects had outstanding warrants for their arrests on robbery charges. All seven suspects were charged with first-degree organized criminal activity. Additional federal charges are expected.
