Lolita Harper A luxury car dealership on...

Lolita Harper

A luxury car dealership on Harbor Boulevard had an unexpected

summer clearance Wednesday afternoon as federal agents towed away

more than $8.5-million worth of lavish cars in connection with an

ongoing investigation of a regional drug ring, law enforcement

officials said.

Five tow trucks, a dozen drivers and a handful of undercover

agents hauled away about 75 cars, including Lamborghinis, Ferraris

and Porches, from the Auto Market of Orange County as part of a

search and seizure warrant issued in connection to the owner of the

dealership, said Jose Martinez, a special agent with the Drug

Enforcement Administration.

Federal agents arrested Nader Amirvand, who lives in Tustin Ranch,

on Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy. He is suspected of being

involved as a money laundering front for a suspected methamphetamine

drug ring in Riverside County, Martinez said. As a result of

Amirvand’s detainment, the dealership inventory and computers were

taken as possible evidence.

“We believe the location was being used as a front and possibly

for money laundering,” Martinez said.

A large-bed tow truck jutted into Harbor Boulevard at Hamilton

Street while loading various cars, causing hundreds of curious stares

and a traffic jam during the afternoon. A handful of burly agents in

street clothes drove $300,000 cars from the lot, while dozens of

onlookers questioned what was going on.

By late in the afternoon, the crowd had grown from dozens to

hundreds, as news of the seizure spread. News helicopters flew

overhead and neighboring residents gathered together, gossiping about

what was taking place.

Traffic was jammed on not only Harbor but both east and west on

Hamilton.

Martinez said various search warrants were being issued around

Southern California in connection with a larger conspiracy case being

investigated by a team of law enforcement officials, including the

DEA, Riverside Sheriff’s Department and Riverside Police Department.

Costa Mesa police were not involved in the investigation or the raid.

James Harris, an attorney who represents the dealership, denied

Amirvand’s involvement in any illegal activities. Harris said

Amirvand was a dedicated family man and respected proprietor who has

sold cars to various heads of industries and athletes over the last

14 years.

“He’s in the business of buying and selling cars, and not whatever

the DEA is investigating,” Harris said.

Harris said he will retain criminal counsel to represent the

dealership’s interest in the event that any formal charges are filed

in the future.

For now, Harris and other dealership employees said they were

concerned with the handling of their expensive inventory.

“A lot of those cars are not insured,” Harris said.

Tow truck drivers allowed dealership salesman to drive some of the

most valuable cars onto the ramps to ensure they were not damaged. A

lime green Lamborghini Murcielago -- worth more than some of the

surrounding houses -- presented a particular loading challenge

because it was so low to the ground it could not be driven up the

steep ramp without scraping.

With each painstaking attempt, onlookers winced at the grating

sound of metal on metal.

“Such a beautiful car,” one man commented.

The problematic beauty was moved to the side to make way for a red

Ferrari Modena, which was less temperamental and on the truck bed in

less than five minutes.

Once loaded on the trucks, the cars were to be hauled to an

impound lot in Riverside, officials said. Harris had asked that the

cars be left at the dealership and guarded by federal agents at the

expense of the dealership because moving them more than 100 miles was

risky, but his request was denied.

Salesman said they would return to work tomorrow, even though they

had no product or computers, to plan for the future. The dealership

is still in business while the inventory is temporarily unavailable,

they said.

“We figure that we’ll get this all sorted out,” Harris said.

While Auto Market employees are sorting things out, federal drug

agents will unravel the details of the larger conspiracy during a

press conference at the Riverside Sheriff’s station this morning,

Ramirez said.

Nearby resident Tris Jacobs said he was always curious about the

dealership and anxious to hear the results of the investigation.

“We would always see these new cars showing up, but we would never

see any leave,” Jacobs said.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at [email protected].