Car parts bust leads to flood of citizen tips

Sep 10, 2023

CITIZENS are speaking out against the auto-theft racket and have begun contacting police officers offering information about the organised crime racket of carjackings and thefts since the police breakthrough on Wednesday when hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of vehicular parts were recovered in New Grant.

Senior Superintendent of the Southern Police Division Richard Smith told the Express yesterday that the exposure of the "nest" of stolen parts and vehicles in North Trace seemed to have opened the floodgates of information, and there have since been numerous anonymous calls from citizens providing police tips about the auto-theft racket.

Smith expressed his gratitude to the public for sharing the information and to the media for exposing the location of the criminal hideout in New Grant.

He said that this breakthrough has led to the return of a Toyota Aqua which was stolen two years ago, returned to its rightful owner.

Yesterday, the victim met with Smith and officers of the San Fernando police to identify his stolen car.

Smith said, "We have people calling to enquire about identifying the car parts. People also call with information for the police. I think people were horrified when they saw the magnitude of the operation, and how they chop up and hide the vehicles and parts. We are getting a lot of anonymous callers with people giving names and locations. We are grateful for the community partnership that the public is showing towards the police. The public is responding positively to the ongoing police operations and we say ‘thank you’ to the media for exposing the criminal elements, as well as showing the police work. We are grateful for all the information that is flowing at this time, especially because the offence of motor cars has spiked in all divisions. It is a big business. Every part on each vehicle has value."

The items which were recovered at the New Grant location were:

• 18 Fielder doors, two Toyota Aqua doors

• two Toyota tailgates

• two Fielder bonnet

• six engines

• two bumpers

• 21 seats (nine front)

• numerous interior parts and engine components

• four shells of Toyota Fielder

• one Honda City rear end

• two Toyota Fielder front ends

• one Toyota ecu

• one Fielder hood, two Toyota Axio hoods, one Toyota Aqua hood

• one Fielder back half minus the hood

• one Toyota Axio left side front cut minus hood

• one Toyota Axio left-side back panel

• a quantity of assorted automotive electrical harnesses

• one Toyota axio back half minus hood

• one Fielder front half and back half minus the hood

• two Toyota Aqua front halves

• one Toyota Aqua back half

Smith noted that no transmissions and batteries were found at the New Grant location and remarked that those were the "hot items" that would have sold quickly to black market buyers.

He added that no glass windshields were found at that location, and it is believed that those items were damaged when the vehicles were being "chopped up".

In the criminal "nest" almost half of a kilometre into a dirt track in North Trace, police officers pulled out from beneath the branches of trees and wild vines a variety of parts, and Smith said that the items were concealed beneath the vegetation to evade detection from national security drones.

He added that it is suspected that the stolen vehicles were brought to the location by the thieves, who used acetenyl cutting torches, to "chop up" the vehicles on the spot.

Smith said that among the six people who were arrested over the last few weeks in connection with the auto-theft racket, some of them were previously arrested for the offences of possession of stolen vehicles and larceny of a motor vehicle.

Some of the suspects were released pending further enquiries.

He added that the police have begun the process of identifying the owners of the vehicles and parts and officials of the Forensic Science Centre will assist in this process.

"From Saturday, members of the public will be coming in to identify the parts/ vehicles that were recovered. Today (Friday) a man came into San Fernando and we identified a Toyota Aqua that was stolen in 2021. The owner was so happy today. We will return it to him tomorrow (Saturday). He got back his entire vehicle. We are having some success stories and we are pleased for the public," said Smith.

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