PHOENIX – Arizona law enforcement recovered more than 10 stolen vehicles during a suspected chop shop cleanup in Phoenix this week.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said: Press release One suspect was arrested on Tuesday, and 19 stolen vehicles were found during a multi-agency search of a rescue yard along Broadway Road near 43rd Street.
Mohammad Lathgani, 36, of Phoenix, was incarcerated in Maricopa County Jail on one count of chop shop manipulation, four counts of transport theft, and one count of possession of dangerous drugs, the DPS said.
Lathgani’s 1st Choice Auto Parts No. 2 salvage yard was one of 12 companies inspected by the agency’s Vehicle Theft Task Force. Search warrants have been served on the three.
DPS said the task force inspected about 2,150 vehicles and motors during the investigation.
The task force will consist of city, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to “participate in concerted efforts to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals and criminal gangs who profit from motor vehicle theft and related crimes.” We are on board,” DPS said. .
The Apache Junction, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria, Phoenix, and Tempe police departments, as well as the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Land and Securities Research, and the Arizona Department of Transportation cooperated in the investigation.
