Group trades nearly $10M in stolen cars for drugs from Mexican cartel, CO officials say

A group of 17 has been indicted after being accused of stealing 190 cars and trading them to a cartel in Mexico for drugs, Colorado officials said.

The group was indicted on 222 charges, including auto theft, drug possession and distribution, identity theft, criminal possession of identification documents, and criminal possession of financial devices, according to a Dec. 9 news release by the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Between September 2022 and February 2024, the group stole at least 190 cars (usually of the high-end variety), amassing a loss of around $9.5 million, prosecutors said.

The group would take the cars to Mexico and trade them to cartel members for cocaine and methamphetamine before the drugs were imported into Denver, officials said.

The investigation into the theft ring lasted more than a year and was conducted by multiple agencies, officials said.

“These indictments should send the message that people who steal cars in Denver will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The number of stolen cars in Denver has decreased dramatically over the past two years thanks, in large part, to the incredible work of the law enforcement community. I am confident that the arrests of these 17 defendants will drive the number of stolen cars even lower,” District Attorney Beth McCann said in the release.

This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Group trades nearly $10M in stolen cars for drugs from Mexican cartel, CO officials say."