Police: Mexican cartels seek vehicles; urge residents to secure vehicles

Brownsville police warn owners of 2002 to 2006 model Chevy Silverado pickups and Tahoes to secure their vehicles because a cartel in Mexico has high demand for the vehicles. Police spokesman Billy Killebrew said police know of seven such vehicles stolen in the last two weeks alone, but that’s only what’s been reported. “The ‘02 to ‘06 are being stolen and taken across,” Killebrew said. “All of the vehicles stolen don’t have alarms. We are investigating the case and have a few leads that we are working on at this time.” Mexican cartels use pickup trucks to transport “sicarios” — men — and the Tahoe-type vehicles are often used to smuggle drugs and people, he said. Police believe several people are working together to steal the vehicles and take them to Mexico, Killebrew said. Killebrew said the increase in stolen vehicles is sharp, and no residential area is immune. “It’s all happening between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. in all residential areas. There haven’t been any thefts from businesses or anything like that,” he said. “When people are waking up in the morning, they discover their vehicle is gone and has been taken.” Thieves also are targeting those vehicles because they are easy to steal and aren’t as advanced as newer models, he said...more