Five men pulled off the theft of hundreds of bicycles, snatching them in a carefully orchestrated scheme while the bikes were in transit to L.A. County from a distributor, according to L.A. County sheriff’s investigators.
Truck drivers were redirected, and box trucks and passenger vehicles were used to transport stolen cargo to waiting warehouses, according to detectives with the sheriff’s Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team.
The bicycles were recovered and tied to a separate investigation that began April 21 when ARI Bikes of Utah reported to the sheriff’s Compton Station the theft of 337 bicycles valued at about $1.7 million.
Working with the bike community and ARI, detectives identified multiple suspects and warehouse locations suspected of housing stolen goods.
Two multilocation search warrants were served. Detectives found 288 stolen bicycles along with other stolen merchandise. The five suspects were taken into custody, and investigators are continuing to examine “their direct involvement in the ARI Bikes theft,” sheriff’s officials said.
Those taken into custody were identified as Samvel Karapetyan, 38; Vazgen Avagyan 36; Narek Badalyan, 32; Vladimir Gyulankaryan, 32; and Davit Grigoryan, 40.
Detectives say they have observed growing sophistication in criminals diverting and intercepting valuable goods being trucked into and out of Southern California in recent years.
“The thieves have moved beyond breaking into trailers and are getting into the electronic delivery system,” sheriff’s Capt. Calvin Mah told The Times.
Computers, high-end medications and other expensive products have become the key targets of cargo thefts, which can net millions of dollars.
Last month, Los Angeles police recovered nearly $4 million in stolen cargo in a case involving a South American crime ring that looted coffee, tequila, shoes, body wash, pet food and bitcoin-mining computers from tractor trailers and other locations.
