GBI arrests Marion Co. man for operating chop shop
MARION COUNTY, Ga. (WTVM) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a Marion County man for operating a chop shop.
45-year-old Jose Mezquite Ramirez was arrested on the following charges:
- Operating a chop shop
- Three counts of buying, selling, receiving, concealing, using, possessing, or disposing of motor vehicle or part thereof from which identification has been removed or altered
- Theft by receiving stolen property - automobile
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
The arrest was made on August 10, following the execution of a search warrant at on Geneva Road in Buena Vista. Three vehicles with fraudulent VINs were seized, in addition to multiple firearms and over $75,000.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search warrant.
Ramirez is being held in the Marion County Jail.
On August 3, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation requested GBI assistance regarding the multi-state “chop shop” operation. ALEA, GBI, and the Columbus Police Department conducted a joint investigation resulting in multiple search warrants being executed on August 10, 2022, including this one.
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