LAREDO – A major auto theft ring based in San Antonio and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, has been broken up by Laredo police, with assistance from San Antonio police, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and several other local, state and federal agencies.
Investigator Joe Baeza, Laredo Police Department spokesman, said the days of stolen vehicles being taken to Mexico and sold for parts are over.
He said drug cartels are now used for more illegal or even deadly purposes.
“They’re used to transport people, ammunition, weapons -- even carry out murders,” Baeza said.
He said although the cartels prefer heavy-duty vehicles, “F250s, F350s, Tundras, Titans,” stolen passenger vehicles have been used in a rolling shootout with the Mexican military.
“Taking these vehicles and utilizing them against legitimate law enforcement in Mexico -- it’s an insult to injury,” Baeza said.
Baeza said the investigation began in January 2016 with a routine traffic stop by the Texas Department of Public Safety of a stolen vehicle out of San Antonio.
He said after DPS contacted Laredo police about stolen vehicles being trafficked from Texas cities to the cartels, further investigation revealed the scope of the operation.
Baeza said they identified two ringleaders Ramon Mendoza, 44, of San Antonio and Guadalupe Javier Nunez, 38, of Nuevo Laredo.
He said Mendoza and Nunez were both indicted for organized criminal activity but remain at large, along with Jorge Lopez, of Natalia, who Laredo police say was second in command to Emilio Vidales, of San Antonio, who is currently being held in the Bexar County Jail, charged with theft.
Baeza said Mendoza was in charge of stealing vehicles in San Antonio, Houston and even the small town of Pflugerville in northeast Travis County, as well as operating a theft ring in Laredo.
He said whenever the cartels needed vehicles, they contacted Nunez and another man in Nuevo Laredo, who would then notify Mendoza of their “order.”
Baeza said they had a team of “crossers” who were transported by bus or vehicle to wherever it was necessary in Texas to pick up the stolen vehicles and then drive them across one of the international bridges in Laredo.
He said most of the crossers have been arrested or indicted for theft or organized criminal activity.
“The overall consensus is that we believe that more vehicles are stolen, especially in San Antonio, and made their way into Mexico and will never be seen again,” Baeza said.
However, he said Laredo police compiled a list of vehicles stolen in the operation.
Baeza said with the help of technology, it’s now easier to detect southbound vehicles that are stolen.
He said, “Auto burglary is a $1 billion loss in the United States.”
List below are the 18 stolen vehicles, including license plate number:
2004 Ford F-150 (Texas AV55047) ... 2004 Dodge Ram (Texas BB06542)
2015 Volkswagen Passat (Texas GHK0066) ... 2015 Red Toyota Tundra (Texas FNH8816)
2008 Chevrolet Silverado (Texas DXZ3244) ... 2008 Gray Cadillac CTS (Texas GTP3819)
2012 Ford F-150 (Texas 85BSP7) ... 2000 Ford F-350 (Texas GSY2069)
2007 Ford Expedition (Texas 78R7106) ... 2009 Red Cadillac CTS (Texas PVS6DV)
2016 Ford Escape (Texas GCH0977) ... 2012 White Toyota Tundra (Texas FVS4191)
2005 Gold Toyota Tundra (Texas DDH7947) ... 2004 Gold Dodge Ram (Texas FZH8290)
2003 Gold Toyota Sequoia (Texas BM4C265) ... 2014 White Honda Accord (Texas DMW4310)
2002 Jeep Liberty (Texas GSY1761) ... 2011 Chevy Cruze (Texas CT8G950)
Baeza said he urges the public to take precautionary measures to protect their vehicles, by doing something as simple as locking the doors or investing in an anti-theft device.
He said the reality is “right now there’s another auto theft ring that’s out there, stealing vehicles and making arrangements to transport them into Mexico.”
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