Four people have been arrested in a Florida vehicle theft ring that spanned from Miami-Dade to Fort Myers and targeted semi-trucks, tractor trailers, dump trucks, fork lifts and motorcycles, authorities said.
The arrests include a suspect from Hialeah, one from Doral and two from southwest Florida. Authorities said the suspects stole the vehicles and took them to chop shops they operated in Miami-Dade and Lee counties, where the vehicle identification numbers were removed and replaced.
The vehicles were either resold in Florida or shipped overseas to Nicaragua, police said.
"These suspects operated an elaborate scheme and agents have already recovered 25 stolen vehicles, mostly from small businesses and individuals," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen said in a statement.
