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17 suspects linked to Sinaloa cartel indicted in elaborate car theft operation

The Denver District Attorney’s office has linked a group allegedly behind the theft of nearly 200 cars to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel.  

Some of those vehicles — notably the pickup trucks — were exchanged in Mexico for illegal drugs smuggled into the United States, according to officials.

The district attorney said it has indicted 17 people allegedly involved in the elaborate car theft ring.

“These indictments should send the message that people who steal cars in Denver will be caught and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said at a news conference Monday.

As of Monday, the vehicle theft operation has stolen $9.5 million worth of property in Denver, McCann said.

Not all of the 17 suspects are in custody. Eleven are, but six remain on the loose, according to the DA office.

Officials said some of the suspects were caught. Others are at-large either in Texas or Mexico.

The suspected ringleader, Joaquin Orozco-Ponce, otherwise known as “Adrian Trocas,” remains at-large. He faces a $10 million bond once arrested on the felony charges, according to officials.

The year-long investigation revealed that between September 2022 and  February 2024, the group stole at least 190 vehicles. The majority of car thefts involved pickup trucks located near Denver International Airport, according to investigators.

A prosecutor said Denver was targeted by the theft ring because it is a large international travel hub. The abundance of pickup trucks in metro Denver was also a factor.

Investigators said the thieves would take the car, drive it down to the El Paso border, then exchange the vehicle for illegal drugs to smuggle back. Illegal drugs carried into the U.S. included fentanyl, methamphetamines and cocaine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division.

“It’s something akin to what you would see in a Hollywood movie,” said David Olesky, the assistant special agent in charge at DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division.

“These weren’t simply individuals looking to steal a car for a joy ride. It was a multi-million dollar international enterprise, which robbed far too many here in the state of Colorado,” Olesky said. “Our DEA agents were able to link this group to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful Mexico-based organizations, notably responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine into our nation.”

The 255-page indictment shows the 17 suspects are facing 222 counts of vehicle theft, menacing, drug smuggling and identity theft indictments. Within some of the recovered stolen vehicles, authorities found cash, firearms, drugs and other personal items stolen with the vehicle.

Notably, the group stole vehicles by deactivating key fobs, according to the DA’s office.

Officials insisted metro Denver is on the downslope when it comes to vehicle thefts. In fact, DA officials said, the metro area has witnessed a 23% decrease in stolen vehicles in 2024, compared to 2023.

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