BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Bakersfield Police Department recently conducted a surveillance operation that resulted in the arrest of 12 people.
The 12 people were arrested for burglary, grand theft and trespassing citations, Bakersfield police said. Through the operation, officers seized more than 70 grams of suspected methamphetamine and other items connected to drug sales.
BPD’s operation as in response to “ongoing concerns” relating to scrap metal thefts from railroad freight cars, the department said.
During the operation, investigators observed multiple people breaking into four freight cars staged at the rail system on the 2000 block of Potomac Avenue, about a mile from the Sierra Recycling Center, BPD said.
When law enforcement arrived, several suspects attempted to flee the area and were located through drones, the department said.
Photo courtesy of the Bakersfield Police Department
Before the Bakersfield operation, scrap metal thefts from railroad freight cars along the San Joaquin Railroad was estimated to have resulted in $400,000 in losses over six months, BPD said.
BPD said the investigation involved several specialized department units Vice, General Investigations, Organized Retail Crime, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones), and the Impact Unit.
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