They may have looked like innocuous hardware stores from the outside, but inside these two L.A. County storefronts was an estimated $4.5 million worth of goods stolen from trains, trucks and cargo ships, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
On Wednesday, Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced that the department had busted a massive cargo theft ring operating out of DJ General Tool & Wire’s Montebello and Huntington Park locations. The stolen goods included power tools, e-bikes and appliances from brands such as Dyson, Milwaukee, DeWalt and Makita, police said.
The business’ owner, 41-year-old Dojoon Park of Montebello, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property, and the L.A. County district attorney’s office intends to file hefty charges.
“We are in the process of fully evaluating the crimes that he has committed, and we anticipate charges being brought against him … that will involve maximum sentences of years of state prison time,” Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said at a news conference.
The Union Pacific Police Department and Los Angeles Port Police are collaborating with the LAPD in the investigation, helping link cargo theft incidents to the goods being sold at Park’s stores and by his business on online platforms, authorities said.
“It’s also important to remember that cargo theft is not a victimless crime,” McDonnell said. “It affects retailers, distributors and ultimately all of us consumers. Protecting the integrity of our supply chain is vital to public safety as well as the economic stability of Los Angeles.”
Hochman said he hoped the bust sends a strong message to those involved in any aspect of cargo theft or the reselling of stolen goods: “We will take you down.”
“If you’re out there on the tracks right now thinking you can go ahead and rip off Union Pacific or BNSF or any of the railroads, think differently,” he said. “If you’re receiving these stolen goods, look over your shoulder, because the next commissary that you deal with is not going to be an online marketplace, it’ll be a commissary of a jail or a prison.”
The investigation into DJ General Tool & Wire is ongoing, and police say more arrests are forthcoming in the fencing operation.
“All of the individuals that are involved, from the inception of the theft, the provisioning of the theft … the eventual transport to the fencing operation, they are all susceptible to being arrested and charged — and charged vigorously,” LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said.
Hochman said it was his priority to crack down on cargo theft and ensure that Los Angeles can uphold its reputation as one of the best port cities for companies bringing goods into America.
This year, the LAPD said it recovered nearly $4 million in cargo stolen by an organized crime ring, including $2.7 million worth of bitcoin-mining computers.
Detectives say they have observed growing sophistication in recent years in how criminals divert and intercept valuable goods being trucked into and out of Southern California.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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