Feds Charge 13 in Stolen Car Scheme Supplying Mexican Cartels

Federal authorities have charged 13 individuals in connection with a scheme that allegedly supplied stolen vehicles to Mexican cartels for their criminal operations. The operation, dubbed "Operation Southbound Takedown," involved stealing cars from private owners and rental companies, transporting them across the border through El Paso, Texas, and into Mexico.

Authorities have recovered 29 vehicles valued at an estimated $1.14 million as part of the investigation. Photos released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas showed a white SUV with bullet holes, an armored black SUV, and an armored pickup truck among the recovered vehicles.

Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso stated that the stolen vehicles are indicative of broader criminal activity. "These are not isolated property crimes," McRae said. "The stolen vehicles related to Operation Southbound Takedown demonstrate an alarming pattern and are used to support the day-to-day operations of dangerous criminal organizations."

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons issued a warning to individuals involved in transporting stolen vehicles to Mexico, emphasizing that cartels exploit these actions to further operations such as human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking, and murder. "You are now on notice," Simmons stated. "If you provide support to these cartels, many of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, by transporting stolen vehicles out of this country and into Mexico, we will find you, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."

Of the 13 individuals charged, 11 are U.S. citizens and two are Mexican citizens. Eleven were federally indicted and arrested between July 22 and Oct. 19, while two Americans, Kimberly Aguilar and Marty Gerardo Jr., are in state custody. All 13 face charges of interstate transportation of stolen property, with potential penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

The investigation, which began in the spring, involved Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and other federal, state, and local agencies working through the Homeland Security Task Force. Authorities collaborated with private-sector partners to disrupt the alleged network.