'Highly organized luxury car theft' ring busted in B.C.

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Three people pleaded guilty following a months-long investigation into what police call a "highly organized luxury car theft operation" in British Columbia.

Officers involved in the case said they saw seven Lexus vehicles being loaded into two shipping containers in a Surrey salvage yard this spring. One of the containers was loaded onto a truck and was about to be hauled away, police said.

They did not say where the vehicles were going to be moved to, but said four of the vehicles were stolen from New Westminster.

The New Westminster Police Department was one of the agencies involved in the investigation, and said its forensic identification unit was able to pull fingerprints tied to suspects.

Three people were arrested, and have since entered guilty pleas.

Mohammed Bouterra, 19, Al Rifai, 22, and Yahya Zitouni, 21, pleaded guilty to theft of motor vehicles, possession of stolen property for the purpose of trafficking, and use of a computer system with intent to commit an offence.

The Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team led the investigation, and said it's committed to working with municipal police and RCMP detachments "to combat auto crime."