TACOMA – Law-enforcement authorities said Wednesday they had busted three auto-theft rings, seizing cars, auto parts, drugs and other items from four locations.
Five people were arrested Tuesday and three Wednesday in the joint operation by the Washington State Patrol and Pierce County sheriff’s detectives, patrol trooper J.J. Gundermann said.
Detectives were continuing to look for seven more people believed to have been involved in the theft rings, he said.
The thieves were stealing mostly newer, imported cars, dismantling them for parts and selling them, Gundermann told The News Tribune of Tacoma. Detectives also found guns, methamphetamine and stolen money during the Wednesday raids, he said.
Officers searched private residences in Tacoma, Federal Way and Des Moines, as well as an auto shop in Puyallup, he said.
Eight cars that were stolen or had stolen parts installed in them were seized Wednesday, Gundermann said.
Undercover detectives were able to buy 16 stolen cars and numerous auto parts in July, August and this month, he said.
The stolen goods were worth a total of $300,000, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
Those arrested face possible charges ranging from leading organized cime and theft to narcotics and weapons violations, the State Patrol said.
The people arrested were not immediately identified.
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