Quoc-Yuong Nguyen jailed for $180,000 car heist at Toylex R Us wrecking yard

A slippery burglary crew used the cover of Grand Final night festivities to pull off a massive car heist at a Derrimut car yard but a key player is now behind bars.

Quoc-Yuong Nguyen puled of a $180,000 car heist. Generic image/iStock.

A raid on a Derrimut car yard, which spanned a whopping 26 hours, led to drug addict thieves getting away with nine cars worth an estimated $180,000.

Quoc-Yuong Nguyen, 35, was sentenced to a minimum of two years’ jail at the County Court on November 5, having pleaded guilty to multiple charges including burglary and theft.

Nguyen was one of four people involved in the “highly organised” operation carried out at Toylex R Us car wreckers on the day and night of the 2019 AFL grand final — September 28-29.

He and another man broke into the yard on Castro Way after 6am on September 28, cutting the chain on the gate.

They took a large roof rack and left before returning to the scene about 11am.

The pair inspected several of the about 200 cars stored at the premises before taking a Lexus when they left hours later.

The men returned with a woman about 8.30pm and inspected more cars and jemmied open a door to the warehouse before taking a quad bike.

Nguyen’s co-offender and another male returned to the yard seven times during the night, and were again joined by Nguyen and the woman on their eighth nightly visit about 5.50am on September 29.

They each left in a stolen car, before the men returned and stole two more at 6am, and one of the men stole a final car just after 8am.

The thieves’ actions were mostly caught on CCTV and a torch, phone, glove and pair of gloves were found left in the car yard.

But they weren’t caught until October 2 when a Toylex R US employee recognised one of the stolen cars in Deer Park and called police.

The court heard the business owners experienced “enormous distress” over the incident.

Several stolen cars were eventually recovered.

Judge Elizabeth Gaynor classified the raid as “highly organised … major, serious, commercial offending”.

It was heard Nguyen had long been addicted to ice and believed the crimes arose out of his drug habit and his choice to hang out with the wrong crowd.

But Judge Gaynor said at age 35 that was simply not an excuse.

“You are not a 16-year-old,” she said.

After being charged and bailed over the incident Nguyen had burgled a home in December. He had previously been convicted for trafficking ice and GHB.

It was submitted Nguyen previously worked for Toyota and had worked as a courier, labourer and carpenter and had a young daughter.

Judge Gaynor said the community needed protection from Nguyen, who had done nothing about his drug habit in 15 years.

Taking into account his plea, she sentenced him to a maximum of 40 months’ jail, noting he had served 179 days.

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