Investigators say shipping containers held stolen vehicles and engines bound for the United Arab Emirates.
MIAMI, FL — A South Florida business owner was arrested this week after deputies said they found stolen cars and engines in shipping containers at PortMiami tied to his Opa-locka auto parts shop. The man faces dozens of felonies and more than 200 misdemeanors, according to arrest records.
Authorities say the case began in late September when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection at PortMiami flagged a container associated with Shine Motors, a business that advertises used engines and transmissions. Inside, officials reported finding multiple vehicles listed as stolen in Miami-Dade County, along with several engines tied to theft cases across South Florida. Detectives later visited the Opa-locka warehouse for a compliance check and said they discovered piles of parts, open Florida title paperwork, and vehicles that were not properly reported to the state title system. The investigation continued through the fall and ended with an arrest Monday. The suspect was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and assigned a bond, records show.
On Sept. 22, a PortMiami inspection team opened a container addressed to Shine Motors and documented three vehicles stolen in separate Miami-Dade cases, investigators wrote. The same load also included four engines tied to theft reports handled by agencies that included the Broward Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Pembroke Pines and Plantation. Detectives from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Auto Crimes Task Force responded and began tracing vehicle identification numbers, shipping paperwork and title records linked to the shop. On Oct. 15, deputies arrived at Shine Motors, located at 12760 Cairo Lane in Opa-locka, for what they described as a shop inspection. There, they said they located additional components from cars reported stolen in Miami, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. In an arrest report, deputies wrote that the shop’s owner told them he did not have purchase orders or legal documents for the vehicles and engines that appeared in the shipping containers.
Investigators identified the business owner as Roohullah Abdul Rauof, 47, of Doral. They said he was taken into custody after detectives returned to the Cairo Lane address on Monday, Dec. 1, to execute the arrest. The initial batch of charges includes 45 felony counts such as grand theft auto, operating a chop shop, dealing in stolen property and selling or transferring a vehicle with a false affidavit. Records also list 224 misdemeanor counts of transferring a title with no purchaser name. Deputies estimated the value of recovered property at about $214,906, spanning complete vehicles and engines. Booking information shows Abdul Rauof was being held Wednesday morning at the Turner Guilford Knight facility on a $145,500 bond. The arrest reports say he is an Afghan national who operates Shine Motors, a company that markets imported powertrains and parts.
Detectives said the case highlights a pattern that auto crime investigators in South Florida have tracked for years. Containers are packed off-site, often at small warehouses, then moved to PortMiami for international shipment. Investigators look for mismatched VIN plates, ground-off serial numbers and title paperwork that appears incomplete. In this probe, deputies wrote that they found 274 open, unassigned Florida titles at Shine Motors, along with vehicles that were not reported to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System as required under state rules for dealers and dismantlers. Auto theft cases have been a recurring concern for agencies across Miami-Dade and Broward counties because stolen vehicles can be stripped for parts within hours, making recovery more difficult. Investigators said the container in this case was destined for the United Arab Emirates, a route that has surfaced in other South Florida export probes involving cars and engines.
Neighbors along Cairo Lane described a corridor of industrial bays where engines and transmissions are stacked and moved by forklift from pallets to pickup beds. They said they had seen containers loaded at different hours, though none reported witnessing a theft at the property. A PortMiami worker who was not authorized to speak publicly said CBP officers conduct spot checks based on risk profiles and documentation irregularities. The worker said officers opened the Shine Motors container and called investigators once serial numbers began matching open theft reports. “You go by the numbers and the numbers tell the story,” the employee said. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials declined to discuss investigative techniques in detail but said the Auto Crimes Task Force coordinates with federal inspectors to flag containers that present a high risk for stolen goods.
Records in the case file indicate detectives are still tracking the source thefts by jurisdiction, with cases tied to Miami, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines and Plantation. The arrest reports do not list all vehicle makes or model years, and officials did not release a complete inventory of the recovered engines. It was not immediately clear whether any additional suspects would be named. Investigators have not said whether customers who purchased parts from the shop will be contacted or whether any civil seizures will be pursued against property tied to alleged crimes. The agency also did not say how long it believes the operation ran or whether previous containers tied to the business were inspected and cleared.
Under Florida law, operating a chop shop is a felony that can bring prison time, and dealing in stolen property is also a felony offense. Investigators said additional counts could be added if more stolen vehicles or parts are traced back to the business. If prosecutors decide to file an organized scheme to defraud charge, that would involve separate elements focused on a continuing course of conduct. For now, the listed counts focus on property crimes and title violations. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office will review the arrest reports and evidence, then make formal filing decisions in the coming days. If a court appearance calendar is set, the first hearing would address bond, conditions of release and any orders restricting access to business premises during the investigation.
Abdul Rauof’s arrest followed a series of recent auto theft crackdowns around the county. In May, deputies said they found a stolen Chevrolet Corvette being dismantled at a towing yard during an inspection, a case that resulted in chop shop charges against three men. Over the summer, Miami-Dade authorities announced arrests in separate schemes involving fraudulently obtained vehicles that were later resold. Officials have said that thieves often target high-demand engines and transmissions for resale because those parts can be shipped in crates that draw less attention than complete vehicles. Investigators said the presence of entire vehicles in the PortMiami container, combined with unassigned title stock at the shop, raised concerns that the business was operating beyond normal salvage or resale activity.
At the Opa-locka warehouse Tuesday, forklifts beeped as workers in neighboring bays moved cargo while deputies photographed car parts and shrink-wrapped pallets. A man who identified himself as a delivery driver said he had visited the block several times a week and saw different containers pulled up to the curb. “You see engines come and go,” he said. “Most places have paperwork ready. That is the difference you notice.” A business owner two doors down said he had provided detectives access to a shared security camera that faces the street. He said he had not seen any vehicle thefts occur at the site but remembered times when late-night activity appeared busier than usual. No defense attorney had filed paperwork in the case by Wednesday morning, according to jail records.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Abdul Rauof remained in custody while detectives continued tracing serial numbers and title slips to individual theft cases. Prosecutors are expected to make charging decisions after reviewing the arrest reports and CBP findings. If a hearing date is set, it would likely occur later this week in Miami-Dade County court. Officials said more updates would be released once vehicle owners are notified and any additional evidence from the shop is processed.
Author note: Last updated December 3, 2025.