Statewide Electronics Theft Ring Uncovered, Broken Up: Police

FREMONT, CA — An electronic thefts fencing operation headquartered in Hayward that drove thieves to steal iPhones and other goods worth millions of dollars has been dismantled, police revealed Friday. At the culmination of their investigation, police arrested 8 suspects accused in the ring, and seized approximately $350,000 in cash, 1,800 electronic devices, two shotguns and two handguns, and evidence indicating the majority of the stolen phones were shipped overseas to places such as China, Russia, Iran, Dubai, Vietnam, Mexico, and more.

The Fremont Police Department spearheaded the investigation and coordinated the serving of the warrants that shut down the ring on Oct. 25. Eight simultaneous search warrants were executed including six in the Bay Area —four in Hayward, one in San Lorenzo, one in San Francisco — and two in El Cajon. Nine other law enforcement agencies and two private companies participated in the action.

“We are pleased with the results of this investigation,” said Fremont Police Lt. Michael Tegner. “However, these results could not have been achieved without the help of partner agencies throughout the state. We know these fencing operations and the high price they pay for cell phones drive the auto burglary epidemic in the Bay Area. We are hoping these arrests help to lower the crime rate.”

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The case was part of an effort to curb auto burglaries and involved a seven-month investigation and hundreds of hours of surveillance work by Fremont Police. Investigators developed information that Torspin Wireless of Hayward was the largest electronics fence for stolen property in the Bay Area, police said.

Detectives learned Torspin Wireless was working with and being financed by another business called MJ Wireless in El Cajon, down in San Diego County, according to Fremont police.

According to Fremont police, Torspin was "actually driving crime in the region, specifically robberies of high end cellular phones and auto burglaries."

Detectives conducted eight undercover buy or sell operations between the Hayward and El Cajon stores. The last was on Oct. 25 when they sold 900 stolen iPhone 11s, with a retail value of $1.3 million, to MJ Wireless and Torspin Wireless.

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The Fremont Police Department is quick to spread the credit to the Hayward Police Department, San Jose Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, Internal Revenue Service, Silicon Valley Regional Computer Forensic Lab, and San Diego Regional Computer Forensic Lab.

Four of the eight suspects arrested on Oct. 25 have been charged.

This is the second major bust from this operation: Million Dollar Crime Ring Busted Up: Fremont Police Assist

And the Fremont Police Department is no stranger to taking on international rings to halt local crime: From Here To Vietnam: International Fencing, Smuggling Ring

If you have any information on these cases, contact the Fremont Police Department’s Investigative Division at 510-790-6900 or email Detective J. Roberts at Jroberts@fremont.gov.