Last week, Police in Southern California seized more than $2.3 million worth of stolen cars from a Van Nuys backyard. The California Highway Patrol alleged on Facebook that the cars were "fraudulently purchased" from unsuspecting dealerships in the area. Police served the search warrant last Thursday, recovering approximately 35 stolen luxury vehicles, and police found quite the collection of cars.
Almost every luxury brand was there, including Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and others. Photos posted to social media by police revealed the cars sitting in a nondescript and unkempt backyard behind a fence. There is tall grass seen growing around them, and some cars are covered in dirt and grime from sitting outside. The photos also show a baby blue Chevy Corvette and a Bentley Continental GT at the property.
Gallery: CHP Recovers Stolen Luxury Cars
It's strange that someone would fraudulently purchase the vehicles and then stash them in a backyard to sit. Then again, it's not exactly wise to drive around stolen goods. Police also covered a firearm at the house and discovered an indoor marijuana grow operation with over 400 plants. Police arrested one suspect, but the department did not elaborate on how that person was involved in the fraudulent vehicle purchases.
Police served the search warrant through the CHP Southern Division Special Services Vehicle Theft Unit after a two-month-long investigation into the stolen vehicles. According to Fox 11, the investigation remains ongoing, and there are still a lot of missing details. The extent of the investigation is unclear, nor is it known how the cars were "fraudulently purchased" in the first place.
This feels like the tip of a larger iceberg that will bear more fruit in the coming months. Fraudulently purchasing cars is a bit beyond a crime of opportunity. Police did not say how many dealerships were targeted, nor did police divulge their locations. We'll follow up if there are more developments in the ongoing investigation because it seems like there is more news coming.
