A multi-agency task force has recovered 72 vehicles stolen in New Orleans before they could even reach dealerships, and arrested numerous suspects, according to Louisiana State Police. Some of the stolen vehicles recovered were linked to violent crimes in the area.
Authorities say the thefts happened at the Norfolk-Southern rail years in New Orleans. The yard serves as an off-loading and storage facility for new cars headed to dealerships in the Gulf South region.
Investigators first received word of significant amounts of cargo theft from the rail yard in November 2022.
"Through a coordinated effort organized by LSP-IFAT-NFO Detectives with Homeland Security Investigations, the New Orleans Police Department and the Norfolk Southern Police Department, an investigation commenced," said Louisiana State Police Trooper Jacob Pucheu. "By June of 2023, through the use of various investigative techniques, investigators successfully recovered seventy-two of the seventy-nine stolen vehicles."
In addition to recovering 72 vehicles, cops also seized multiple firearms, including some that were illegally modified to fire as fully automatic weapons. Officers also seized drugs ranging from meth to cocaine to fentanyl.
Some of the arrested have already pleaded guilty in state and federal court, with sentencing proceedings currently underway.
