Indictment charges 17 with stealing nearly 200 vehicles in Colorado for Mexican cartel

The Denver District Attorney's Office announced Monday the filing of organized crime charges against 17 people accused of taking part in the theft of at least 190 vehicles from the Denver metro area. 

The majority of the stolen vehicles were large pickup trucks and SUVs taken from parking lots at Denver International Airport or the Colorado hotels around it. 

"Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic," Denver District Attorney Beth McCann stated at the joint press conference, "it has been a top priority of my office to prosecute auto theft cases whether they involve one car or 190."

McCann said her office filed 682 auto theft cases in 2019. The number of cases ballooned, almost doubling that figure, by last year; the office filed 1,026 cases in 2023. It has filed 1,038 so far this year. 

But the number of reported auto thefts has reportedly dropped 50% in the metro area since its peak in 2023. 

"I'm confident the arrest of these 17 defendants will drive the number of stolen cars even lower," McCann said. 

DEA says criminal enterprise was like "a Hollywood movie"

The heavy duty vehicles were desired by the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, according to the DA's Office. There, those vehicles were exchanged for drugs -- cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine -- which were brought back and sold in the Denver area.

David Olesky, Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Denver office, said at Monday's joint press conference that the cartel wanted the larger vehicles so that it could modify them with ballistic armor and mountings for high-caliber firearms.

"The evidence gathered throughout this investigation revealed the sophistication and coordination and operational capabilities of this group. It's something akin to what we might see in a Hollywood move," Olesky said. "These weren't individuals simply looking to steal a car for a joyride. This was a multi-million dollar, international enterprise which robbed too many people here in the state of Colorado."

City, state and national authorities collaborated to bring about the indictment. At the local level, members of the Denver Police Department Special Investigations Unit and Colorado Metro Area Auto Theft Task Force "aggressively pursued multiple cells working in the Denver area," explained Tim Linzen, an Assistant Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations-Denver. Their efforts set the groundwork. HSI "leveraged" law enforcement efforts in other U.S. jurisdictions and in its (and DEA's) offices in Mexico. 

"The suspects in this investigation represent an international, poly-crime organization that's posed a significant threat to public safety," Linzen added.

With the indictment, Colorado car thieves "are starting to feel the heat," said Denver PD Lt. Matt. Canino. 

The seventeen people identified in the indictment include Denver residents and Mexican nationals. According to investigators, the suspects played specialized roles -- some were local operatives dedicated to stealing the vehicles, some drove the vehicles to and across the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, others orchestrated the exchange of drugs and vehicles, and others were responsible for distribution the drugs back in Denver.

Eleven of the 17 are currently in custody. A fraction of those 11 were already in custody for other crimes in Colorado.

The alleged leader of the operation, Joaquin Orozco-Ponce, is believed to be on the run in Mexico. A $10 million cash-only bond has been set in anticipation of his arrest.

The 222-count indictment includes a number of COCCA (Colorado Organized Crimes Act) charges, reflective of racketeering, in addition to the auto theft and drug felonies.

Highest rate of auto theft in country

"Victims lost their method of transportation to go to work, lost their ability to take and pick up their children from school," said Lt. Col. Joshua Downing of the Colorado State Patrol and member of the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority. 

Officials estimated the auto theft ring is responsible for $9.5 million in losses. 

"With the COVID lockdowns and such, Colorado skyrocketed up to the No. 1 state (in the nation) in per capita auto thefts," Ken Prost, a supervisor for the National Insurance Crime Bureau stated at the press conference. Colorado, in other words, had the highest rate of auto thefts in the country while this crime ring was operating. "The cost to every single insured person in Colorado is significant."  

Though no longer No. 1, Colorado is still in the top 10 among state's in rate of auto theft. 

Ashley Beck, Senior Deputy District Attorney in McCann's office, described how the thieves physically manipulated locks to gain access to vehicles, then "plugged in" electronically to the vehicle security system using a key fob tool commonly available to consumers. The key fobs are programmable to certain models of car and truck, and are capable of completely deactivating security systems. 

Another prosecutor from the Denver DA's Office, Alison "Allie" Foley, noted the vulnerability to car thieves around Denver International Airport.

"Denver is uniquely geographically situated. We have a major international airport," Foley said. "We have a lot of people driving to Denver, largely from the mountains, driving in four-wheel drives, large pickup trucks, who are coming to Denver for the purposes of taking a long flight, to travel somewhere for a significant amount of time. We are also on I-25 and I-70," she said, crossing her palms, "which makes moving vehicles out of the city and county of Denver relatively easy.

"Often times, these vehicles were taken from (the airport) and the surrounding airport hotels, and were transported to El Paso and then into Mexico before the owner had returned from a trip and even noticed their vehicle had been taken."

Tracking devices

One vehicle owner, however, successfully thwarted the loss of his vehicle. The group of investigators commended him for hiding a commonly available tracking device on his truck. He called authorities from Florida to report his truck's movement toward Texas. He relayed its coordinates and authorities there were able to intercept it.  

However, once across the U.S.-Mexico border, vehicles were rarely recovered. The ease with which vehicle were delivered to the cartel over the border may not change, investigators said. There are "limited inspections" for vehicles headed south at particular ports of entry. On the other side, Mexican authorities don't have access to information about U.S. vehicles to sufficiently prevent stolen vehicles from crossing.     

Meantime, investigators are addressing the vulnerabilities around DIA. The airport, they said, has increased the number of security cameras and "hard" barriers in its parking lots and garages. The hotels on Tower Road are also taking similar steps, reportedly. 

Travelers and drivers interested in increasing their vehicle's security are asked to visit LockDownYourCar.org.