Cops Bust Detroit Family Theft Ring Who Stole Millions in Ford Parts From Local Factories
A father, his two sons, and a retired Ford employee were arrested in Dearborn for running a massive parts theft operation that targeted the automaker's plants. The post Cops Bust Detroit Family Theft Ring Who Stole Millions in Ford Parts From Local Factories appeared first on The Drive.
The Dearborn Police Department arrested several members of a family-run auto parts theft ring targeting Ford’s assembly plants in the Detroit Metro area this week. While the department has yet to disclose the full scope of the operation, various outlets are reporting that multiple warehouse raids in and around the city of Detroit yielded huge stashes of brand-new parts that were allegedly pilfered right off of Ford’s assembly lines. Friends, 2025 has been a banner year for large-scale automotive theft operations, and we’re not even a third through May.
From the reports we’ve seen so far, this one consisted of three family members—a Dearborn father and two sons—and at least one other individual who is also currently in custody, described as a retired Ford employee from Canton, Michigan (a far western suburb of Detroit). The police have not yet released the names of the men who were arrested, but said that all relevant suspects have been apprehended.
Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin told Fox 2 Detroit that the thieves’ inventory was pilfered from Ford facilities in Wayne, Dearborn, and Flat Rock over a period of at least two years. Shahin described warehouses in Detroit filled “from the floor to the ceiling” with brand-new Ford parts ranging from body panels (including hoods and bumpers) to replacement parts (such as tail lights). After squirreling the parts away in their local warehouses, the thieves allegedly sold them on eBay using a Detroit-based front business.
Videos shared on the @dearborn Instagram feed depict police removing entire pallets of parts marked “Property of Ford” from a building on Greenfield Rd. between West Chicago and Joy on Tuesday, and stacks of bumpers and hoods were visible in several shots. At least one additional warehouse was apparently raided later in the week. Police also reportedly searched “multiple” residences, presumably in Dearborn and Canton.
Since law enforcement continues to play this one close to the chest, we have to assume this isn’t the end of the story. So far, the four men are facing charges of grand theft auto, racketeering, and operating a criminal enterprise.
Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com
The post Cops Bust Detroit Family Theft Ring Who Stole Millions in Ford Parts From Local Factories appeared first on The Drive.
