chop shops
Stolen car butcheries
A chop shop is an illegal operation where stolen vehicles are dismantled for parts.
The parts are then sold separately, making the theft harder to trace than selling whole cars.
The term sometimes extends metaphorically to any operation that breaks down stolen goods or assets: The police raided a chop shop that had processed dozens of luxury cars.
Vehicles taken unlawfully
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- black marketIllicit trading system
- fencingCombat with blunted blades
- organized crimeStructured illegal enterprise
laundering · illegal · bust · hot goods · contraband · insurance fraud · trafficking · syndicate
Removing outer layers
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
- partsIndividual elements of whole
- salvageRecovering damaged goods
- wreckingDestroying completely
scrapping · engines · transmissions · catalytic converters · airbags · body panels · wheels · doors
stolen cars
Vehicles taken unlawfully
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- black marketIllicit trading system
- fencingCombat with blunted blades
organized crime · laundering · illegal · bust · hot goods · contraband · insurance fraud · trafficking · syndicate · gangs
stripping
Removing outer layers
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
- partsIndividual elements of whole
- salvageRecovering damaged goods
wrecking · scrapping · engines · transmissions · catalytic converters · airbags · body panels · wheels · doors · electronics
- crimesarson, burglary, robbery, kidnapping, vandalism
- troublemakerstroublemaker, rascals, delinquents, imps, brats
- black marketblack market, illegal trade, smugglers, contraband, traffickers
- rough neighborhoodsslums, ghettos, ghetto, inner city, projects