60 in San Diego County indicted in undercover auto theft operation

Sixty people have been indicted in an eight-month undercover auto theft operation in San Diego County, during which authorities recovered not just stolen cars, but drugs, guns and body armor, local law enforcement officials announced Thursday.

The undertaking, dubbed “Operation Kill Switch,” turned up more than 70 stolen vehicles, including U-Haul trucks. The vehicles had a combined value of about $1.1 million.

From February to September, undercover officers bought stolen or illegal items from more than 90 people. A grand jury heard evidence and handed up indictments for 60 defendants, Dist. Atty. Summer Stephan said.

“These people made it their business to steal cars,” she said.

Although the region had seen a drop in car thefts, they climbed back up over the last two years. According to authorities, 13,188 vehicles were reported stolen in the county in 2012. Two years later, that number was down to 10,383.

Last year, the number of cars reported stolen countywide climbed to 12,207.

The sting was handled by the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, made up of 16 local and state law enforcement officials. Federal agents also took part in the effort.

The cars recovered during Operation Kill Switch included high-end models — Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Tesla — as well as a 1992 Honda that the victim had relied on as her transportation to her job at a discount store.

“This is the kind of harm that’s caused,” Stephan said, noting that the victim had “done everything right,” including locking her doors. “This caused a hardship. And this is just one example of why we all take this very seriously.”

Aside from cars, officers also were able to recover several U-Hauls that had been obtained by people using stolen identities.

“That was a little different for us,” said California Highway Patrol Capt. Don Goodbrand. “That’s just not your typical ‘I’m gonna break into a car and steal it’ route.”

Most of the vehicles recovered in the sting had been taken in San Diego County, although some had been swiped in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

As of Thursday, 38 of the 60 people named in the indictments were in custody. Depending on the charges and any prior convictions, potential sentences for the Operation Kill Switch defendants could range from probation to 10 years in custody.

Figueroa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com