KENOSHA COUNTY (CBS 58) -- Several people have been federally charged for their roles in an interstate car theft ring operation stated in a press release Wednesday, July 2. 

Dating back to 2022, the Kenosha County Drug Operations Group (KDOG) started investigating after a single license plate was found on a rural Kenosha County highway was determined to come from a stolen vehicle in Milwaukee. 

Law enforcement worked the case over the next three years, having executed numerous search warrants across the state - from La Crosse, Madison, Sun Prairie, Milwaukee and Racine to Chicago. They were able to identify the key figures in the car theft operation. 

Diaunte Shields, Casha Griffin, Brianna Shields, Lashawn Davis Jr., and Meliek McClarn are part of 23 suspects total identified in this operation. 

High-end cars were targeted and stolen from Mitchell International Airport and residences using professional-grade scanning devices and tools. The vehicle VIN plates and radios were swapped being sold throughout the United States far below their value. 

The proceeds were funneled through fake LLCs before being used to buy real estate, which was sold to launder money. 

In addition to four stolen cars, there was a stolen firearm out of Detroit, MI along with Credit Card Cloning devices, hundreds of counterfeit vehicle titles and VIN plates, stolen high-end clothing and jewelry and cash recovered as part of the search warrants executed by KDOG. 

A drug nexus was also identified, which involved large number of deliveries of heroin and methamphetamine in Whitestown, IN.

In regard to the large-scale investigation Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner stated, 

“The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office is honored to have played a crucial role with all of our involved law enforcement partners.  The fact that a recovered license plate in Kenosha County ultimately led to the federal indictments of 23 individuals is truly impressive.  I am proud of the fact that KDOG detectives identified key members, executed search warrants, and gathered crucial evidence of this crime ring.”

No further information is being released at this time.