Cops raid chop shops, bust million-dollar car theft ring with ties to notorious Mexican drug cartel

A million-dollar car theft ring linked to a notorious Mexican drug cartel has been dismantled.

Three men, Edgar Bravo, Jesus Gutierrez-Escamilla, and Bernando Fernandez-Pereyda, all Mexican nationals, were arrested in connection with the operation, shedding light on the cartel's diversified criminal activities. The trio was reportedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a notorious Mexican drug syndicate.

The investigation led to a raid by the Harris County Sheriff's office in Houston, Texas, where authorities seized 14 stolen vehicles with fraudulent titles from three chop shops.

READ MORE: Gunman and security guard dead, seven more hurt in overnight shooting at Florida's CityPlace Doral

Fernandez-Pereyda, on the other hand, was intercepted by Border Patrol in 2023, although the resolution of his case is unclear, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents seen by the New York Post .

Gutierrez-Escamilla reportedly entered the US illegally over a decade ago and has a lengthy criminal record. Despite previous encounters with police, including a conviction for trespassing in 2012, he had not been deported due to enforcement priorities.

Saul Suarez, a spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff's office told KHOU : "It was pretty much a smooth round-up. We did have one person that fled. We were able to get him in custody. But it was a pretty smooth execution. We did use our SWAT team and they’re pretty good at what they do and was able to secure everyone."

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.

Retired DEA chief Ray Donovan spoke of potential links between the car theft ring and human trafficking. Houston, he noted, is a hub for cartel activities, facilitating the distribution of drugs across the US. He said: "You have a network of drug distributors all throughout the US and in Houston and they receive massive fentanyl and cocaine from Mexico.

"They’re also involved in other criminal activities besides just the distribution and trafficking of drugs. It’s just a massive point of transshipment, it’s also like a brokering place. So dope goes into Houston, it’ll go to Atlanta, it’ll go to Chicago."

Join the Mirror's SMS news service to get the biggest breaking stories delivered straight to your phone. Click here to subscribe.

Earlier this week, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas announced the arrest of 23 individuals associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, implicated in a large-scale drug-smuggling operation centered in Houston.

While significant progress has been made in dismantling the car theft ring and disrupting cartel operations, authorities continue to pursue additional suspects, including the leader of the drug-trafficking ring and several fugitives still at large.