When a Dallas woman’s pickup vanished from her apartment complex, it wasn’t a complete shock. After all, it had happened before. This time, she opened an app. Hidden somewhere inside the stolen truck was an Apple AirTag, a tiny tracker that quietly began lighting the path for police to follow.

AirTags are small Bluetooth devices designed by Apple to help people find missing items through the “Find My” network

Most are used for things like keys or luggage. But car owners have started tucking them into vehicles as a low-cost backup plan in case theft strikes.

In this case, that small piece of tech helped expose what police now describe as a highly active chop shop in southeast Dallas.

The owner said her truck was taken from her residence earlier this month…the second time she’s dealt with auto theft

This time, though, she’d hidden an AirTag inside the vehicle.

About a week after the theft, it started pinging from the 1100 block of Haymarket Road.

The owner contacted Dallas police, who launched surveillance on the area and soon spotted her truck sitting in a backyard.

By the time officers got there, the vehicle had already been stripped for parts

The trailer attached to it was also located nearby. Investigators from the Dallas Police Auto Theft Unit obtained a search warrant and uncovered several other stolen vehicles at the same property.

Police said the site appeared to be an active chop shop where thieves dismantled vehicles and sold off components.

According to NBC DFW, four suspects were arrested on felony theft charges. A fifth person was taken into custody on unrelated charges.

The truck owner said the theft was frustrating and costly, especially since she relied on the vehicle for work

Still, she called the recovery effort a small victory and said she was grateful the AirTag helped officers track it down.

A $29 tracker might not stop a theft in progress, but in this case, it turned one stolen pickup into a map leading straight to an entire criminal operation.