Police have nabbed several Palestinian Authority resident Arabs accused of running a car theft ring. The suspects, members of a single family from Hevron, allegedly disguised parts stripped from stolen cars as legal goods and shipped them around the country.
The cars stolen were taken primarily from Jerusalem.
The crime gang then used fake documents to present stolen car parts as legal. The stolen parts were shipped back to Israel and to Gaza, where they were sold.
The stolen parts were sometimes hidden under furniture. Police believe the furniture was stolen as well.
A number of Arab residents of Jerusalem are also suspected of involvement. They allegedly worked moving the stolen goods around in trucks owned by the Hevron family, using entrance visas they were given as Jerusalem residents.
The suspects in both Hevron and Jerusalem were arrested Wednesday morning. Police searched the suspects’ homes as well.