Several crimes impact society, but car theft is among the most significant. Private owners are sometimes the victims, but thieves also target car showrooms and other institutions. Recently, multiple people went to jail for their role in a massive Florida car theft ring that started two years ago, but one more person is still on the run. 

Car theft is also a massive public safety issue 

According to Wink News, the Florida Attorney General says that this group of people is responsible for stealing about 80 vehicles. Specifically, they targeted airport rentals in Florida. Authorities began investigating this crime in 2022 when Fort Myers law enforcement officers caught wind of several instances of car theft involving airport rentals. Multiple agencies participated in the investigation, which uncovered more than a dozen cars that were stolen and sold for cash. 

So, how did the six people go about committing the instances of car theft? Well, the stolen cars all came from the Southwest Florida International Airport. The individual companies the thieves went after were Avis and Budget. They used multiple methods to steal. This includes using heavy/duty blankets to cover spikes in parking lots and duplicating keys. Additionally, there were instances of them renting cars and installing AirTags before returning them. Naturally, the AirTags allowed the people to track and steal the vehicles later. 

The group used these instances of car theft to target high-end SUVs. After stealing them, the criminals would issue clean titles before selling them. Agents say they earned around $1 million from the sales. Regarding the suspects, an official said, “All six of these individuals are non-U.S. citizens. Five of them have already been arrested, and one of them is at large.” It’s also believed that they were involved in crimes in other states, such as Georgia and Texas.