On November 13th, 2024, court documents released in the state of Texas indicated that an organized crime ring based out of Houston had been accused of stealing more than $5 million worth of vehicles from the parking lots at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). This information was first reported by Dallas-based local news outlet WFAA, which referred to the group as one of Cuban origin, and cited an arrest warrant that had been issued for one of the principal alleged perpetrators.
The group has not just been indicted for auto vehicular theft at DFW but has also been accused of targeting airports across the county in states including Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. Law enforcement officials believe that the group uses remote devices to reprogram key fobs to open locked cars within the parking lots, before changing their ID numbers, driving them illegally into Mexico, and then retitling them.
Texas detectives indicated that they have been investigating this organized group since February 2023, and after tracing multiple different thefts, have been able to identify 14 different alleged suspects, three of which are currently in law enforcement custody. Court documents have indicated that the group appears to target vehicles with higher market value (primarily luxury SUVs and sedans). In total the group has been accused of 52 different car thefts which documents indicate have a market value of over $5 million, averaging to around $100,000 per vehicle.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
The situation is unsurprisingly concerning to the appropriate regulatory agencies involved
Given the excessive nature of this crime, and the fact that this has happened multiple times over the course of the past few years, it is unsurprising that the news of these accusations has proven extremely concerning. In a statement, a spokesperson for Dallas/Fort Worth Airport had the following words to share:
“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.”
The spokesperson also noted that the airport’s police unit would continue to help all forms of law enforcement disrupt organized crime rings targeting airport facilities in any way that they can. In addition, it was noted that the diligent work of the DFW Airport Police has resulted in more than a 40% reduction in car thefts from terminal parking lots this year alone. However, it does appear that some organized groups have been able to get around the police’s security procedures.
Not the first time that airport car theft has made the headlines this year
While airports in general are considered to be safe places, due to the high law enforcement presence, their garages have been notable hotspots for vehicular theft over the years. When people are rushing to the airport, they may forget to lock their cars or take their keys with them.
Photo: Denver International Airport (DEN)
In other circumstances, they may not be back for months at a time, and would not be able to report a theft until months after it has occurred, making the stolen vehicle extremely difficult to trace. This happens extremely often, as occurred just a few weeks ago on October 22nd, when a woman’s car was stolen from the parking lot at John Glenn Columbus International Aiport (CMH).
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