Romanian car theft ring busted by county detectives

Published 1:30 am Monday, April 6, 2026

Over the past month Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office detectives have been working diligently to dismantle an organized theft ring centered around the Renton area.

Last month detectives were made aware of a scam that was taking place through Facebook Marketplace when a Grays Harbor County victim attempted to sell his vehicle. A potential buyer contacted the victim and they arranged a meeting to purchase the vehicle. When the victim arrived he was met by two individuals. One of the individuals distracted the victim while a second individual sprayed oil on the vehicle engine and up the tailpipe.

The buyers attempted to convince the victim that the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure and would need to be towed from the location. They attempted to buy the vehicle at a greatly reduced price.

The Grays Harbor County victim then ended the deal and refused to sell the vehicle. Realizing something suspicious had occurred, the victim obtained the license plate on the potential buyers’ vehicle and alerted the Sheriff’s Office.

Grays Harbor County detectives were able to track down the registered owner of the suspect vehicle and learned he had recently sold that vehicle for a reduced price after falling victim to a similar scam.

After further follow up, detectives were able to identify several additional victims and three suspects associated with the scam. They were also able to identify the suspects’ residence in Renton.

On March 31, Grays Harbor County detectives, with the assistance of the Aberdeen and Hoquiam police departments, responded to the Renton address to arrest the suspects and serve a search warrant at their home.

The three suspects were located and arrested. During a search of their residence and the surrounding area investigators located several vehicles believed to be stolen as part of the scam, along with $57,000 in cash, over 20 vehicle titles, and several sets of vehicle keys. Six vehicles located around their residence were seized as evidence.

All three suspects are Romanian nationals and are believed to be part of a much larger criminal organization.

If you or anyone you know believe you may have fallen victim to this scam, contact lead Detective Ed Welter by email at Ewelter@graysharbor.us.