DALLAS — An organized crime ring out of Houston is accused of stealing $5 million worth of vehicles from DFW Airport, according to an arrest warrant for one of the suspects.
The documents referred to the group as a “Cuban auto theft group,” and said they target airports all across the country in Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Texas.
Detectives say the group steals cars using devices that reprogram key fobs and are accused of then changing the cars’ ID numbers, retitling them illegally, often driving them over the border to Mexico.
Detectives said they’ve been investigating this group since February of last year and have since identified 14 alleged members. Three suspects have been arrested so far.
It appears the group targets higher-end vehicles. The airport says this group is responsible for 52 car thefts that total about $5 million. That’s an average of just under $100,000 per car.
A DFW Airport spokesperson sent WFAA the following statement:
“While there is an ongoing investigation and pending prosecution, investigators with the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety remain in close contact with peer local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt organized crime rings targeting airport parking facilities throughout the country. Due to the work of DFW Airport police, the airport has seen a more than 40-percent reduction in car thefts from the terminal areas so far this year compared with 2023.”