Operation Southbound Takedown: 13 Charged in an Alleged Stolen-Vehicle Pipeline From Rental Fleets Through El Paso to Mexican Cartels
Prosecutors say 29 recovered vehicles worth about $1.14 million were stolen from private owners and rental companies and driven into Mexico. Eleven of the 13 defendants are U.S. citizens. Each faces up to 10 years if convicted.
Federal authorities in West Texas say they have broken up a cross-border pipeline that supplied Mexican cartels with stolen cars and trucks, Fox News reports.
The case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas says vehicles were stolen from private owners and major rental car companies, driven through El Paso and taken into Mexico. There, prosecutors allege, they supported the daily operations of cartels. The investigation is called Operation Southbound Takedown. Authorities have recovered 29 vehicles worth about $1.14 million.
Who is charged. Thirteen people face charges. Eleven are U.S. citizens and two are Mexican citizens, one with a lawful permanent resident card and one with a border crossing card. Two of the Americans, Kimberly Aguilar and Marty Gerardo Jr., are in state custody. The other 11 were federally indicted and arrested between July 22 and Oct. 19. All 13 are charged with interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries up to 10 years in federal prison.
What officials said. Ryan G. McRae, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge in El Paso, said, "These are not isolated property crimes." U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said cartels exploit people chasing a "quick buck" to fund "human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking and even murder," and warned, "You are now on notice." The FBI's El Paso office had its own message for people helping cartels: "Justice will find you!"
How it started. Agents and prosecutors began looking in the spring after spotting a pattern of stolen vehicles moving to people allegedly tied to criminal groups in Mexico. HSI, the FBI and other agencies worked the case through the Homeland Security Task Force. McRae said, "This work is ongoing; we're not stopping here."
Note for readers: the charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Prosecutors released photos of a damaged SUV and armored vehicles recovered in Mexico, but we have not seen them. The link between the vehicles and specific cartel operations is the government's account.