Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

the vehicles using a minimal amount of time. There will be an engine hoist, assorted jacks, air compressor, power and hand tools. To avoid detection, one vehicle will be disassembled at a time. The only problem with operations like this is the disposal of unsellable portions. The metal portions can be torched, that is cut up using a welding torch, or cut using various hand and motorized metal saws. These parts can be transported to a salvage yard and sold as scrap.

The other nonsellable pieces, cloths and other material that are worthless, can be disposed of as trash. The only problem with this is that apprehension is likely if an endless supply of nonuseable automobile parts is found in the trash. Some of our backyard chop shops will make midnight raids to unauthorized dumping locations to dispose of their unmarketable goods.

Because chop shops want to avoid detection, they will transport their items for sale in unmarked pickups, light hauling vans or trucks. This is a red flag to the police be-

Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN)

For those of you who don't quite understand the importance of VINs, we will take a moment to explain it. Go out to your vehicle and look into your car through the windshield to the top of your dashboard on the driver's side. Sometimes it will be on the windshield post on the driver's side. The VIN is on a small rectangular plate attached to the car with two rivets, one on each side. These rivets are unique in themselves because their heads, the part which is visible to you, have a shape for each make of vehicle. We are told that these rivets are a controlled item and cannot be purchased readily. The VIN itself is seventeen characters, both letters and numbers. This series of characters specifies the vehicle's make, model, type, and where and when it was manufactured. The VIN is also stamped on the engine and transmission and may sometimes be found on a sticker on the driver's side door. Each manufacturer also places the VIN in a hidden location somewhere on the frame, as a last resort to identify the vehicle if the engine or transmission is missing or has been replaced. The manufacturer changes the location of the "hidden VIN" each year. Only the manufacturer, insurance companies and law enforcement agencies know the location of the hidden VIN.

When a police officer is comparing the VINs on the vehicle's registration and the VIN plate behind the windshield, he may also check the sticker on the door. If this sticker is missing, this is a good indicator to the police officer that something is wrong.

cause legitimate businesses advertise on the side of their vehicles.

Buildings used for chop shops can be legitimate automobile repair or collision repair centers. To avoid detection, off hour late nights and weekends are used to cut up illegally obtained vehicles. These legitimate establishments will increase their business by installing stolen vehicle parts onto

accident-damaged vehicles at a cheaper rate. One good indicator that a legitimate dealer is using stolen vehicle parts is absorbing a large insurance deductible in the repair cost of the damaged vehicle.

Vehicles Stolen for Export

Stolen vehicles for export into Central and South America, the Caribbean and Mexico are in high demand. Mexico is mainly used as a location for chop shops because of a treaty which states that stolen vehicles must be returned to the United States. Mexico is the only country that has this treaty stipulation. Because of the number of mountainous regions and poor road conditions in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, the preferred vehicles are 4 x 4-wheel drives. Officials will make no attempt in these countries to put a halt to the import of these vehicles. A good portion of these stolen vehicles are used by government agencies and upper-class residents. Because of this, the cars must be undamaged and are stolen with the keys.

Once the vehicles are stolen, they are shipped out of the country through freight haulers — commercial shipping lines that use steel shipping containers, which can contain up to two vehicles. To get through United States Customs Service, they use forged documents with altered VINs or inaccurate shipping contents (the vehicles are usually listed as household goods).

In the Caribbean, a law enforcement study reported that one out of every five vehicles shipped from the United States showed signs of being stolen. For vehicles valued over $16,000, the percentage changed to four of every five vehicles stolen from the United States. The amazing thing to remember is that there is a waiting list of buyers who will pay as much as twice the original purchase price of the vehicle knowing it was stolen from the United States. Luxury and 4 x 4-wheel drive vehicles are very hard to come by in developing countries. Wealthy customers are willing to pay the extra price for these vehicles, creating a high demand for stolen cars.

An important consideration in exporting stolen vehicles is the distance the vehicle must be moved to reach a port. Car thieves do not want to get caught and this can easily occur when transporting the stolen vehicle to the port. One method to avoid apprehension is to haul the stolen vehicles in a car carrier. Car carriers, unless they violate a traffic law, are unlikely to be stopped. One problem with this method of transportation is that legitimate car carriers transport one make of vehicle. When transporting stolen vehicles, multiple makes are on board — a red flag for law enforcement.

The United States Customs Service, in an attempt to slow the shipping of stolen vehicles out of the country, applies for and receives regulations that place a time limit on vehicles for export. The vehicles must be registered several days before shipping—enough time that the proper inspection and credential-checking can be performed. Unfortunately, resourceful thieves can circumvent this. They purchase a vehicle from an automobile dealership and ship it to a country. Then they