Police: Auto thieves stashed cars in Bucks

Levittown - Police said that associates in the ring would attend an auto auction in Lancaster County, where they would search vehicles on display for unsecured keys.

The trail of an auto theft ring run by a Tajikistan national leads to Bucks County.

But authorities aren't saying where the trail goes from there or even where there is.

Investigators said Parviz Gafarov, 27, of Bonner Street in Philadelphia, ran a ring of auto thieves who nabbed cars from dealers - who bought them at an auto auction - and stashed them in Bucks.

Where the stolen vehicles were stored, though, is one of the questions authorities won't answer, citing an ongoing investigation into organized crime. They also won't say what happened to the cars after they were taken from their hiding place in Bucks. The agency declined to say if the stolen cars were re-sold, used for parts or shipped out of the country.

Gafarov was indicted by a state grand jury earlier this week and arrested Thursday on a total of 60 counts, including participating in a corrupt organization, promoting organized crime, conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property. He's the only person charged so far in the case.

According to the state grand jury, investigators linked a series of auto thefts from dealerships in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia and New York beginning in December 2008.

Police said that Gafarov or members of his organization would attend the Manheim Auto Auction in Lancaster County, where they would search vehicles on display for unsecured keys. The group would then track which dealers would purchase the cars, according to police.

The group tracked the sales either by staying at the auction until the purchasers were displayed on a public display screen or used one of several Carfax accounts Gafarov paid for, according to the grand jury. The group would take the vehicle identification number for a car they planned to steal and track its purchase using the online auto information service, police said. The alleged thieves also would google the VIN to track it online, according to court records.

The alleged thieves would then drive to the dealers, open the cars with the stolen keys and drive them to the unnamed location in Bucks County.

That wasn't the only scheme they had going, authorities say. The organization also took vehicles at dealership service departments, they said. The car thieves would slip a bag inside a night drop slot and collect keys dropped off by customers getting work done on their cars, according to the grand jury.

State police identified at least 20 cars Gafarov and his unnamed accomplices allegedly stole in both schemes. Police said the cars were worth about $761,000 and included nine Mercedes Benzes and four BMWs.

Several of the vehicles have not been recovered.

Gafarov was arraigned before District Judge Michael Burns in Morrisville. He told Burns he was in the United States as a student for the last nine years and was receiving financial assistance to take political science courses at Temple University.

Burns ordered Gafarov held on $1 million bail. As a condition of his release, if he posts bail, Gafarov would have to surrender his passport.

Matt Coughlin can be reached at 215-949-4172 or mcoughlin@phillyBurbs.com.

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