Authorities in New York have cracked down on a motorcycling and gun trafficking ring that they say was involved in lifting expensive motorcycles off the streets of New York and selling them at throwaway prices.

A jury in Manhattan has indicted a total of 33 defendants in a massive motorcycle and illegal weapon theft ring.  The indictment was delivered after an investigation by the New York Police Department as well as Manhattan DA investigators.  

The motorcycle thieves include procurers, who were responsible for lifting expensive and flashy motorcycles right of the street.  These motorcycles were then loaded into vans that had been stolen for transportation of the motorcycles.  At least 50% of the alleged members of the ring were arraigned in a Manhattan court recently.

The investigation first began when a single motorcycle was stolen in Tribeca.  It took investigators 17 months to bust the ring.   According to the police officers, the motorcycles accounted for approximately 50% of the motorcycles that were stolen in New York City over the past year.

As part of the investigation, officers of the New York Police Department intercepted hundreds of phone calls.  Dozens of officers were involved in making undercover purchases of both motorcycles as well as illegal weapons.

According to the Manhattan DA’s office, some of these illegal weapons were also sold to undercover police officers.  The thieves were apparently stealing high-end motorcycles, and selling them for rock-bottom prices.  Some of the motorcycles that were sold included a Ducati Monster and a Kawasaki Ninja.  The Ducati and the Ninja together have a combined value of $22,000, but an undercover police officer was able to buy both of the motorcycles from the traffickers for about $4,200. This strengthened suspicions about the ring.