Public Safety

64 Indicted in Undercover Operation

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An eight-month undercover operation has resulted in 64 grand jury indictments, with active and former members of the military among those facing charges, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

Operation Perfect Storm was carried out by the Regional Auto Theft Task Force (RATT) in cooperation with federal and military investigators. The defendants face various felony charges including insurance fraud, vehicle theft, sales of cocaine and methamphetamine, felons in possession of guns; sale of high-capacity magazines; grand theft; possession of stolen property (military operations equipment); and burglary.

“The dedicated work of RATT and the resulting indictments mean dozens of car thieves who were also trafficking guns and drugs in the North County have been shut down,” said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. “I’m proud of the DA’s continuing role on the RATT Task Force whose undercover operations help decrease auto theft across the county.”

Arrest warrants were issued June 3 and law enforcement conducted a sweep to arrest the defendants on June 4. Law enforcement made 50 arrests during an early-morning sweep in San Diego County. Seven Marines, one sailor, and seven former Marines are among those arrested. Suspects in this investigation face varied sentences depending on their criminal background including probation to 25 years in state prison.

Operation Perfect Storm was launched in August 2012 and yielded 92 stolen vehicles worth an estimated $692,603. Nine firearms, methamphetamine and cocaine were also seized and crime rings across the county were broken up.

Using various law enforcement resources, undercover operatives were able to identify and infiltrate various criminal groups throughout San Diego County. Once infiltrated, the criminals were invited to an undisclosed undercover storefront location in the northern sector of San Diego County. While at the store front, the suspects were videotaped selling undercover detectives stolen vehicles, firearms, narcotics and stolen military contraband consisting of military-grade tactical bullet proof vests, Kevlar helmets, night vision goggles, thermal monocular, gas masks, more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition and high-capacity magazines.

RATT Commander Scott Parker said Operation Perfect Storm netted the most arrests, and recovery of stolen vehicles, in any operation that RATT has conducted over the past three years.

San Diego County’s auto theft rate has been dropped in recent years lowering its ranking by the National Insurance Crime Bureau from third in the nation for stolen cars to number 16. From 2007 thru 2011, auto theft dropped 51 percent. In 2012, 13,188 cars were stolen. In 2013, 4116 cars were stolen in the first four months of the year. However, there has been a slight increase in auto thefts so far this year. From January to April, auto theft in San Diego County increased 1 percent from same period in 2012.