Law enforcement officials have descended on a scrap yard on Tucson's west side today as part of an investigation into trafficking in stolen cars and other items.
Five people associated with Metal Management of Arizona, 1525 W. Miracle Mile, have been apprehended as part of the case, though no formal charges had been filed early Tuesday, said Sgt. Matt Ronstadt, a Tucson police spokesman.
The months-long investigation included undercover officers taking stolen cars to the scrap yard and selling them for scrap. Other items, like damaged ATM machines also were sold there, Ronstadt said.
About a dozen cars that were registered as stolen and had obvious signs of theft-related damage - like screwdrivers jammed into the ignition - were sold at the scrap yard by Tucson police undercover officers, Ronstadt said. It was not immediately clear how many other stolen vehicles are believed to have been sold at the business.
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Federal, state and local police are involved in the investigation.
Officials were going through the entire inventory at the business today.
