22 Seattle cab drivers arrested in undercover police investigation

22 Seattle taxi drivers are accused of running a stolen property trafficking ring, besides providing rides around the city.

The taxi drivers were arrested during an operation named “Operation Yellow Jacket”, and the subsequent arrests took place during a period of 10 weeks. The Seattle Police Department began the investigation after they received complaints from the community members and the small business owners about taxi driver suspects involved in trafficking stolen goods aver since 2006. The suspects collected objects stolen from several businesses, from burglaries and car break-ins. Detective Renee Witt, the Seattle Police Department’s spokeswoman, declared that the operation included undercover detectives selling alleged stolen goods to taxi cab drivers: each time they were sold something, the cab drivers were told that it was stolen and the items had store tags and anti-theft devices still on them. During the 10 weeks, 40 undercover sales were made to 22 cab drivers, and none of them refused the merchandise, although they knew it was stolen. After a few transaction sales, one of the cab drivers wanted to use cocaine to pay for his merchandise, instead of money. Many of the transactions were taped by the surveillance video cameras from the taxi stand or the parking lot, so there are records of the undercover police agents selling bags containing stolen items to the taxi cab drivers.

The police did not investigate what the taxi cab drivers did with their stolen merchandise, and do not know if they were keeping it to themselves, giving it as gifts or reselling it. This will be the subject of a second investigation, and if it is found out that they were reselling it they will be sentenced for that accusation, too. Witt declared that the drivers will probably be accused of several charges, from felonies to misdemeanors, possession of stolen property and trafficking of stolen property. Some of the businesses from where the thieves were stealing were The Westin Hotel and a Nordstrom department store. The taxi cab drivers discovered by the police to be involved in trafficking of stolen items were independent drivers and the police did not find any evidence suggesting that the cab drivers company owners are involved too.