L.A. Hardware Store Exposed as $4.5 Million Cargo Theft Operation

Two Los Angeles-area hardware stores have been exposed as fronts for a major cargo theft ring responsible for moving an estimated $4.5 million in stolen goods. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, items taken from trains, trucks, and cargo ships, including power tools, e-bikes, and appliances from brands such as Dyson, Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Makita, were recovered.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the operation, run out of DJ General Tool & Wire’s Montebello and Huntington Park locations, demonstrates the increasing scope of organized cargo theft in Southern California.

Arrest and Charges

The owner, 41-year-old Dojoon Park of Montebello, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property. Prosecutors say charges will carry significant penalties.

“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,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

Authorities say Park’s stores, along with online platforms, were used to fence the stolen goods.

Multi-Agency Investigation

The LAPD worked in coordination with the Union Pacific Police Department and the Los Angeles Port Police to connect thefts from rail lines, ports, and trucking operations to Park’s businesses. Investigators said the collaboration was key to linking theft incidents across different modes of transportation.

“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.”

Prosecutors Promise Tougher Enforcement

Hochman warned that both thieves and those reselling stolen merchandise face heightened scrutiny.

“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. 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.”

Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton added that all parties in the theft pipeline, from those committing the initial crimes to those transporting and reselling the cargo, face potential arrest and prosecution.

Cargo Theft Trends in Southern California

The LAPD has intensified efforts against organized theft as cargo crimes grow more sophisticated. Earlier this year, authorities recovered nearly $4 million in stolen merchandise from another organized crime ring, including $2.7 million worth of bitcoin-mining computers.

Hochman emphasized that cracking down on these crimes is essential to protecting Los Angeles’ reputation as one of the nation’s most important logistics hubs.

Source: LA Times