Seattle Cabbies Charged in Alleged Fencing Ring
Police sting results in 22 cabbies arrested for receving stolen property.
July 26, 2010— -- A ring of Seattle taxi drivers did more than provide rides around the city, prosecutors claimed as they charged 22 cabbies with running a stolen property trafficking ring.
The cabbies were busted in a sting dubbed "Operation Yellow Jacket," according to court documents. The sting and the subsequent arrests took place over the course of 10 weeks.
The Seattle Police Department's Major Crimes Task Force began the investigation after receiving complaints, which date back to 2006, from the community and retail businesses about suspects involved in trafficking stolen goods, police records state. The documents state that the suspects received items stolen from several businesses, from burglaries as well as from car break-ins.
The undercover sting targeted cab drivers working out of the taxi stand as well as three parking attendants at the adjacent "I-Park" parking facility, officials said.
Detective Renee Witt, the Seattle Police Department's spokeswoman, said Operation Yellow Jacket included undercover detectives selling purportedly stolen property to taxi cab drivers. Each time a transaction took place, the cab drivers were told that the items had been stolen, she said. Witt said some of the merchandise even had store tags and anti-theft devices still on them.
Over the 10 weeks, police said 40 undercover sales were made to 22 cab drivers and three parking lot attendants who worked next to the cab stand. Several of the drivers allegedly told the undercover detectives, "I'll take everything you can get," Witt said.
After a few transactions one taxi driver began using cocaine as payment for the stolen property, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department on the arrests.
The police department said numerous transactions were documented by surveillance video of the taxi stand which recorded the suspected shoplifters and other alleged thieves walking by the taxi stand several times a day with bags filled with suspected stolen merchandise. These suspects would then sell the items in the bags to the taxi cab drivers, who were aware that the merchandise had been stolen, police said.
Related Stories
ABC News Live