'It is something akin to what we might see in a Hollywood movie.'
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"It is something akin to what we might see in a Hollywood movie," says Dave Olesky, assistant special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Denver."These weren't simply individuals looking to steal a car for a joyride. This was a multi-million-dollar international enterprise which robbed far too many here in the state of Colorado."
Nearly 200 vehicle thefts between September 2022 and February 2024 are linked to the crime ring, with the "overwhelming majority" of the vehicles taken from the Denver International Airport or surrounding hotels. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car thefts at the airport increased by 72 percent between 2021 and 2023.
Olesky says the Sinaloa Cartel linked to the operation is"one of the most powerful Mexico-based organizations" responsible for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl into the United States. Some of the seventeen people indicted in the car theft ring are believed to be directly tied to the cartel, while others are said to be local Colorado residents who were responsible for breaking into the cars or driving them to Texas or Mexico to later be traded for drugs.
Denver Car Theft Denver International Airport Denver Mexican Cartel Denver Auto Theft Ring
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