Miami car dealership owner arrested after extensive FBI investigation, towing stolen cars
The owner of a Miami car dealership is behind bars after an extensive investigation, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, for seven hours on Wednesday.
The New York FBI division and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO) auto crimes task force arrested Aslan Abdullayev, 37, after executing a search warrant at his business, Cube Motors.
Neighbors told CBS News Miami that FBI agents arrived at Cube Motors in the area of Northwest 79th Street and Third Avenue in Miami around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.
According to Abdullayev's arrest report, investigators found a 2019 Mercedes with a Texas license plate number that they say was reported stolen by the New York Police Department on May 18, 2025. They say that through inspection of the car, it was revealed that Abdullayev changed the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the vehicle with a different label that they describe in the report as of an "inferior quality than those manufactured and applied by the Mercedes-Benz group."
Abdullayev is facing multiple charges, including grand theft, selling a vehicle with an altered ID, and counterfeiting a VIN decal. His total bond was set at $12,500, but he remains behind bars due to an immigration hold.
CBS News Miami was at Cube Motors Wednesday as the FBI agents were conducting their investigation
FBI agents were spotted inside the gate of Cube Motors and were also seen taking photos of vehicles and of the business itself.
Video from the scene early Wednesday morning showed FBI agents at the business, with one man coming out of the building with his hands up, and another was seen being questioned while wearing handcuffs.
Both have since been released, and CBS News Miami crews spotted approximately five vehicles being towed from the business. It is unknown if Abdullayev was one of those men, and if any of the other vehicles were also stolen.
An FBI spokesperson told CBS News Miami that the investigation was part of what he described as court-ordered law enforcement activity in the area.
City of Miami police said they were not involved in the investigation, but Miami-Dade police said they were at the scene on Wednesday.
After FBI agents left, the business was closed and a padlock was placed on its front gate.