Countywide CHP undercover operation nets 31 arrests for vehicle thefts, narcotics [The San Diego Union-Tribune]

A countywide undercover operation aimed at breaking up vehicle theft crime rings resulted in more than 31 people being arrested Wednesday, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The yearlong operation, called Operation Sunrise, resulted in 50 grand jury indictments on various felony charges, including insurance fraud, vehicle theft, drug possession and multiple weapons charges, CHP officials said in a news release.

The warrants were issued earlier this week after the San Diego County District Attorney's Office presented evidence to a grand jury over two weeks. More than 100 witnesses testified.

After Wednesday's arrests, 19 of the indicted suspects remained at large, CHP officials said.

The San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force, a multi-agency group composed of local and state law enforcement officers, launched Operation Sunrise in September last year.

Task force members went undercover to infiltrate several criminal organizations in the county, CHP officials said. Officers set up an undercover storefront in East County equipped with video cameras to record black market deals and purchases.

The cameras recorded the sale of stolen vehicles, guns, ammunition and drugs, investigators said.

Officers reclaimed 172 vehicles worth an estimated $3.3 million, 14 firearms, fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.

San Diego County ranked only behind Los Angeles and Alameda counties for number of vehicle thefts statewide.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

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