Tijuana.- State police agents arrested five members of a criminal group suspected of transporting stolen vehicles from the United States to this city to prepare them for sale in Mexicos interior, authorities announced.
Agents captured the suspects, among them a 17-year-old, with two pickups and an SUV that had been reported stolen in California.
The operation began the afternoon of Feb. 9 on Sánchez Taboada Avenue in a neighborhood west of downtown. State police agents intercepted three suspects who were trying to dismantle a Dodge Ram, registered in California, which had been reported stolen in Anaheim.
Authorities identified the suspects as Aarón Vargas López, 32 years old, Luis Fernando Hermosillo Fajardo, 27, and Ricardo Álvarez Vázquez, 33. They were trying to locate the pickups GPS device to disconnect it so the vehicle could not be tracked, police said.
One of the suspects reportedly told police that two accomplices would be arriving at a shopping
center with two more stolen vehicles. Thats how the 17-year-old, only identified by his first name of Irineo, was arrested along with another suspect, María Esther Ramírez López, 38.
They were allegedly driving a Toyota FJ Crusier and another Dodge Ram, both of which had been reported stolen earlier that day in California.
The suspects and vehicles were turned over to the state Attorney Generals office for further investigation.
Omar.millan@sandiegored.com
