Inside the takedown of organized theft rings in Massachusetts

Advanced theft rings in New England have targeted everything from car parts to gold jewelry — but an information-sharing system used by Massachusetts State Police is proving critical in busting organized crime that has victimized people across the region.

There have been two high-profile busts that have made news recently in the Bay State — one, a theft ring that stole catalytic converters from hundreds of vehicles in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and another ring that allegedly targeted dozens of homes belonging to people of South Asian descent in search of gold and jewels.

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The Commonwealth Fusion Center proved to play a key part in making arrests for both cases. It's an intelligence organization that tracks data from a number of sources and disseminates information to the necessary agencies.

In April 2024, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan held a joint news conference with Massachusetts State Police to announce the arrest of four people suspected of orchestrating sophisticated break-ins of the homes of Indian and South Asian families across Massachusetts and beyond in recent years.

There were at least 43 break-ins across 25 communities, Ryan said, explaining that the burglaries left families "truly traumatized" and without pieces of their heritage. Some of the gems, jewelry and cash were recovered by law enforcement. The value of the stolen goods surpassed $4 million.

Thirty-nine police agencies cooperated to make the arrests.

That announcement was just a couple of weeks after federal prosecutors revealed that all seven arrested in their "Operation Cut and Run" had pleaded guilty to stealing catalytic converters from over 470 vehicles, as well as stealing from ATMs and jewelry stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The group was first arrested in 2023.

"These guys were skilled," Assistant U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Phil Mallard said. "They knew exactly what they were doing. They could be in and out of those vehicles within a minute... They weren't going to be making mistakes and really, they weren't going to stop."

The Commonwealth Fusion Center was able to help synthesize reports of catalytic converter thefts from around the state. That helped local police departments coordinate with each other, the state, and eventually federal law enforcement — taking these thefts from a series of incidents across jurisdictions to a traceable pattern that was linked back to a singular group.

"They were looking at them and they were saying to themselves, all these local departments are sharing it, seeing the same vehicle," Mallard said. "They developed a lot of information about that vehicle."

Eventually, law enforcement was able to track down a maroon Acura to Davila, through a bogus license plate on it that he purchased through eBay. That's what eventually led to the cracking of the case.

Information about this case, as well as the other theft ring that was charged with burglarizing homes of South Asian families, was shared through Mass Crime Net, a division of the Fusion Center. The crime net distributes intelligence bulletins via email to law enforcement officers around the state.

"Not only is it just public safety matters, but emerging trends in crimes that maybe aren't affecting certain local departments yet where they can get a head start," Trooper James Melberg said, who works within the Criminal Information Section of the Commonwealth Fusion Center. "We we like to think of it as like an early warning system, especially for these groups that are extremely active, productive and successful."

The system dates back to 2007, and was first pioneered by then Wilmington Police lieutenant Chris Neville, who now works as an intelligence analyst for state police.

"It started with about 30, 35 individuals," Neville said. "And then by the time I retired [from Wilmington police in 2012,] it had grown up to about 800 individuals without even trying to solicit people to participate because they saw the benefit of information sharing."

The network is now approaching a membership of 5,000 officers in the state, and has become a key part of multi-jurisdiction investigations.

'Crime doesn't stop at the border'

"It really has made a significant difference in identifying criminals, helping other investigators and just connecting people that otherwise would not normally talk to each other," Neville said.

Since the Operation Cut and Run arrests, prosecutors said that the issue of catalytic converter theft, once a major problem in the Bay State, has largely been eliminated.

"In this case, it's hundreds of people who were victimized," Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said, referring to the catalytic converter theft ring. "This is a real consequence of people. This is people trying to get their kids to school or care for their parents, or run a small business, run a food pantry."

Levy is referring to the Weymouth Food Pantry, which had its truck hit twice by the thieves who cut out their catalytic converters under the dark of night.

The first incident happened in September of 2022, according to executive director Pam Denholm, who explained that a volunteer went to go start up the truck one morning, to be greeted with a horrible noise.

"You can hear right away that there is something wrong," Denholm said. "And so we were immobilized. And it was difficult because in fall, when we go into the fall, back to school and heating bills start coming in — that’s when neighbors really do start to struggle."

Denholm said that her organization was able to get by with a van while waiting for months for replacement parts. Still, it proved to be a trying time for the non-profit, because it only has one truck and distributes food off-site from its warehouse.

They were finally able to get the truck back online in November, but just a couple of weeks later, the catalytic converters were stolen off of it for a second time.

"I mean the first time we were hit, we were like, 'Why are guys hitting a food pantry for, for goodness' sake.' It’s inexcusable anyway," Denholm said. "The second time it was just a whole other level."

Denholm was grateful for the work of law enforcement, that the thieves were facing consequences for the ordeal.

"I am thankful they pleaded guilty," Denholm said. "They made some terrible life choices and they’re going to serve out their sentences and hopefully have some time to reflect on their choices and their actions."

Four of the seven arrested in Operation Cut and Run are still awaiting a sentencing hearing.

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