MEXICO CITY — Mexican cartels are reportedly stealing cars and trucks from U.S. rental agencies at a significant rate, transporting thousands of vehicles across the border each year to maintain their operations. Law enforcement agencies and recovery companies indicate that while many thefts occur in border states, vehicles have been stolen from as far away as New York, Chicago, and Miami, with California being the primary target.
According to the California Highway Patrol, approximately 2,000 vehicles stolen from California end up in Mexico annually. LAPD Sgt. Juvey Mejia, part of the Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention, noted that cartels favor heavy-duty pickup trucks and Jeeps for their ability to navigate tough terrain to evade Border Patrol.
“Anything that can drive through tough terrain to get away from Border Patrol so they can move dope,” Mejia stated.
Vehicles of choice include Chevy Suburbans, Ford Raptors, Toyota pickups, Cadillac Escalades, and BMW SUVs. Criminal groups sometimes modify these trucks with heavy ballistic-proof steel plating and firing ports to use in confrontations with rival cartels or authorities.
The thefts are often not discreet; cartel operatives rent vehicles in the U.S. and drive them across the border. The total number of stolen vehicles remains unclear. California's restrictive privacy laws on GPS tracking of rental vehicles contribute to the issue, as noted by Sharky Laguana, owner of Bandago Van Rentals in San Francisco. California law mandates that rental agencies cannot activate GPS tracking until after the vehicle return deadline has passed and the renter has been contacted, allowing stolen vehicles to be moved deep into Mexico before they can be tracked.
“California allows criminals to take advantage of the fact that we are not allowed to see where the vehicle is until it’s too late,” Laguana said. The American Car Rental Association stated that California's laws complicate vehicle recovery efforts, resulting in millions of dollars in theft-related costs.
Earlier this year, criminal groups stole 10 new Ram pickup trucks from airports in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, with the vehicles ultimately ending up in Jalisco state, controlled by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Private investigators managed to recover one truck with assistance from the Mexican army, which also seized a cache of weapons.
In another incident, six 2026 model Jeep Wranglers were stolen from Oakland and Las Vegas, with four recovered so far. Investigators suspect these vehicles were intended for the Sinaloa Cartel.
Kevin Carter, owner of Collateral Consultants, a rental car recovery company in Texas, remarked, “For the cartel, it is the cheapest way for them to do business.” He explained that renting a vehicle is more cost-effective than purchasing one outright.
In addition to California, Texas and Arizona are also major targets for Mexican criminal groups. One tactic involves cartels hiring individuals in the U.S. through social media to rent vehicles, obtain damage waivers, and leave keys in the vehicle for operatives to retrieve.
The scheme, known as huachicol fiscal, is a significant revenue source for cartels, second only to drug trafficking. The process for reporting a stolen rental vehicle varies by state and can be lengthy, often requiring several days before a vehicle can be officially reported stolen.
In 2024, the Colorado attorney general’s office indicted 17 individuals linked to the Sinaloa Cartel for stealing 190 new Ford F150s and luxury vehicles near the Denver airport, valued at nearly $10 million. In Laredo, Texas, Deputy Police Chief Timothy Tubbs reported a 50% increase in rental vehicle thefts, with about 10 incidents per month.
Once stolen vehicles reach Mexico, operatives often bribe corrupt officials to change the U.S. license plates for Mexican ones and register the vehicles in Mexico’s online car registry. Although systems exist to flag stolen vehicles, the new plates prevent them from being identified as stolen.
Experts noted that stolen vehicles are more easily identified in the U.S. due to routine checks, but once in Mexico, they effectively disappear. “It crosses that border, it is a brand-new car,” Carter stated.
As turf wars among cartels intensify, the demand for stolen vehicles increases. The Sinaloa cartel, founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is currently embroiled in conflicts as his sons, known as Los Chapitos, vie for control against rival factions.
Despite many stolen vehicles never being recovered, some have been. In Guerrero state, the Mexican army seized a Toyota TRD Pro and other vehicles loaded with weapons and meth. In another case, a member of the Jalisco New Generation cartel attempted to transport a stolen Cadillac Escalade and a Ram truck, but investigators tracked the vehicles and coordinated with the Mexican army for recovery.
The ongoing issue of vehicle theft is compounded by the challenges of law enforcement coordination across states and the complexities of reporting and recovering stolen vehicles.