OPA-LOCKA, Fla. — A Facebook page for an Opa-locka business called Shine Motors advertises the sale of ”all types of used engines and transmissions," coming “directly from Japan and Korea.”
But authorities said at least some parts at Shine Motors were actually sourced a little closer to home: directly from vehicles stolen from Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Investigators with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the chop shop’s owner, Roohullah Abdul Rauof, also had entire stolen vehicles ― and was caught trying to ship them, along with the stolen parts, to the United Arab Emirates.
Deputies arrested Abdul Rauof, 47, of Doral, on hundreds of charges on Tuesday.
According to MDSO arrest reports, on Sept. 22, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection team at PortMiami discovered three vehicles stolen out of Miami-Dade County inside a shipping container from Shine Motors destined for the UAE.
Authorities said that the container also had four engines from vehicles reported stolen to MDSO and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, along with Pembroke Pines and Plantation police.
According to the reports, deputies with MDSO’s Auto Crimes Task Force went to Shine Motors, located at 12760 Cairo Lane, on Oct. 15 to conduct a shop inspection.
After arriving at the business, they said they found components sourced from vehicles stolen from Miami, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, along with 274 open, unassigned Florida titles and numerous vehicles that had not been reported to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System as required.
Deputies said Abdul Rauof “stated that he did not have any purchase orders or legal documents for the vehicles and engines found inside the shipping containers” and said they recovered an estimated $214,906 worth of property.
Investigators said they went back to Shine Motors on Monday to arrest Abdul Rauof on 45 felony charges, including grand theft auto, operating a chop shop, dealing in stolen property and selling or transferring a vehicle with a false affidavit.
The arrest reports state that the Afghan national also faces 224 misdemeanor charges of transferring a title with no purchaser name.
As of Wednesday morning, records show he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $145,500 bond.
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