Alleged auto theft ring indicted on 121 counts | Colorado

(The Center Square) – A gaggle of 13 individuals who allegedly stole 59 automobiles within the Denver metro house had been indicted on 121 counts. 

The indictment from a seventeenth Judicial District grand jury stem from a investigation by means of the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority’s Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force and different regulation enforcement companies, together with Colorado State Patrol. Authorities say the auto thefts and burglaries took place at Denver International Airport quite a bit, in addition to in Adams County and in different places across the Denver metro house. 

The team focused Ford F-150 Raptors, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Dodge Challengers and Dodge Chargers between February 2022 to March 2023, allegedly the usage of apparatus to reprogram key fobs to be able to get into the automobiles sooner than disabling GPS gadgets. The team additionally allegedly used one of the vital stolen automobiles to crash into companies that had ATMs.

The counts come with racketeering, housebreaking, irritated motor automobile theft and theft. Four of the defendants are nonetheless at massive, in keeping with the DA’s workplace, with one among them being at massive in Mexico. Nine are in custody, with one among them in custody in Mexico.

“Thieves continue to steal cars at alarming rates in Colorado, but particularly at Denver International Airport and the lots that surround it,” District Attorney Brian Mason said in a remark. “This group allegedly targeted our airport and used stolen vehicles to terrorize businesses in my jurisdiction and beyond.”

“I’m certain that this indictment will send a message to all who target vulnerable travelers at DIA,” he added. “This behavior will not be tolerated, and we will pursue justice with all the law enforcement and prosecutorial power we have to deter it.”

In 2020 and 2021, Colorado had the absolute best auto theft price within the nation, in keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The state’s auto theft price has long gone up 233% since 2014, a report by means of the Common Sense Institute discovered.