El Paso, Texas: 13 Charged With Moving Stolen Vehicles to Cartels in Mexico

Thirteen people are facing federal charges in El Paso, Texas, for allegedly moving stolen vehicles from the United States into Mexico for drug cartels, federal officials announced on Monday.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced the charges at a news conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office in downtown El Paso on Monday, October 26. He appeared with officials from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the El Paso Police Department. The agencies worked together under the Homeland Security Task Force.

A crossing point in El Paso

The investigation, named Operation Southbound Takedown, began in the spring of 2026. Federal agents and prosecutors said they noticed a pattern early this year: vehicles stolen from private owners and from major rental car companies across the southwestern United States were being driven to El Paso and delivered across the border into Mexico.

Prosecutors allege the vehicles were then used in the daily business of Mexican cartels. The El Paso Times reported that federal authorities named the La Linea and Sinaloa cartels, which operate in and around Juarez. Investigators said the cartels recruited U.S. citizens and other people who could legally cross between the two countries to drive the vehicles south.

During the investigation, agents recovered 29 vehicles valued at approximately $1,137,000, according to the Justice Department. The vehicles had been stolen from several cities, including El Paso and Chicago, and from states ranging from Florida to California, the El Paso Times reported. They crossed into Juarez through El Paso ports of entry.

Who was charged

Eleven of the defendants are U.S. citizens and two are Mexican citizens, Simmons said. Kimberly Aguilar was indicted on March 25 and is in state custody, as is Marty Gerardo Jr., who was indicted on July 22. Eleven more defendants were indicted and arrested between July 22 and October 19: David Monarrez, Cesar David Diaz, Sinuhe Baltizar Lopez, Christopher Rene Reyes, Angel Antonio Flores, Aaron Fernando Luna-Evans, Amy Foote, James Dewey Garrett, Hilario Abraham Morales, Pablo Frias and Pilar Bernabeth Mendez Rivas.

Each defendant is charged with interstate transportation of stolen property. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in federal prison, the Justice Department said. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Johnston and Andres Ortega are prosecuting the case.

Officials warn recruits

Simmons warned people who are offered money to drive vehicles into Mexico. He said the organizations soliciting that help are using drivers to expand operations that include human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking and murder, and he said anyone who transports stolen vehicles for cartels will be found and prosecuted.

Ryan G. McRae, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge in El Paso, said the cases are not isolated property crimes and that the stolen vehicles support the day-to-day operations of dangerous criminal organizations. FBI El Paso acting special agent in charge Coult W. Markovsky said the bureau would keep working with partner agencies and private companies on the investigation, which officials said is ongoing.

An indictment is an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.