Digital Sleuthing Uncovers Massive West Coast Bike Theft Operation

The West Coast’s Fanciest Stolen Bikes Are Getting Trafficked by One Mastermind in Jalisco, Mexico

“We have people stealing all over the world.” A digital sleuth named Bryan Hance has spent the past four years obsessively uncovering a bicycle-theft pipeline of astonishing scale.

WIREDCondé Nast

Incredible story from Wired, Bryan Hance, cofounder of Bike Index, dedicated four years to exposing a massive bike-theft operation connecting Silicon Valley to Jalisco, Mexico. The operation, orchestrated by Ricardo Estrada Zamora, saw hundreds of high-end bikes stolen from the US and sold online in Mexico. Despite tireless efforts and significant evidence gathered by Hance, including tracking sales through Constru-Bikes' social media pages, law enforcement response has been slow and incomplete.

“We have people stealing all over the world,” Zamora's operation boasted online, highlighting the global reach of this criminal enterprise.

Hance's relentless pursuit of justice continues to fight against the rising tide of sophisticated bike theft, representing not just a battle for stolen property but for the sense of freedom and community that biking brings.