Spring Valley

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 15 suspects at the Spring Valley Swap Meet in January as part of a crackdown on auto thefts and burglaries originating from the meet’s parking lot, officials announced.

Those arrested were charged with a range of crimes, including auto theft, burglary and stolen property and narcotics-related offenses, sheriff’s Sgt. S. L. Blackwood said. Interviews with the suspects by deputies revealed that the swap meet had earned the reputation as an easy target for auto thieves and burglars. The number of such crimes there has increased since last fall.

Blackwood said the suspects include Mexican nationals and three men associated with a street gang in Fresno. But he said it is too early to determine whether at some point an organized ring of criminals was at work.

Most of the suspects were caught committing a crime, and at least four have pleaded guilty, Blackwood said.

Deputies will remain in the area for at least two more months, but the number of crimes reported has already dropped in the past couple of weeks, Blackwood said.

Authorities began a surveillance of the swap meet parking lot, located in the 6300 block of Quarry Road in Spring Valley, after deputies noticed a significant increase in burglaries and auto thefts there.