2 men busted by feds investigating airport auto theft ring

HOUSTON — Two Cuban nationals are in custody on charges related to the exportation of vehicles stolen from major metropolitan airports, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced on Thursday.

The feds say they’re linked to an organized crime ring that they’ve been investigating since 2024. 

Federal agents arrested Sadiel Noa-Aguila, 42, near McAllen, Texas, and Miguel Busedaez-Echevarria, 36,  in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both were expected to appear in court on Friday.

According to the criminal complaint unsealed after their arrests, authorities launched an investigation in 2024 that uncovered a large ring linked to numerous vehicle thefts nationwide. Most of the vehicles were stolen from major metropolitan airports in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver and Fort Lauderdale. Co-conspirators also stole vehicles in Miami and Cincinnati. 

As part of the scheme, the ring allegedly used electronic devices to steal the vehicles by cloning key fobs. They added fraudulent license plates and altered vehicle identification numbers before reselling them across the border, according to the charges. 

The charges allege Baez is linked to the theft of at least 15 additional vehicles, and the theft ring stole vehicles worth millions of dollars in total.

He and Noe-Aguila are charged with aiding and abetting the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, which carries a maximum 10-year prison term. Baez also faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which could lead to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. 

• Noa-Aguila allegedly tried to export five vehicles, a black Cadillac Escalade, a white Cadillac Escalade, two GMC Sierras, and a Chevrolet Silverado through a port of entry in Hidalgo County in October 2024. All five had the same fake Texas license plate. They had been reported stolen in Denver the previous month, according to the allegations. 
• Investigators uncovered social media and WhatsApp messages describing four of the five vehicles that included photos. They said the vehicles were being sold to “Mencho” and Mexican officials had been bribed. 
• The messages also mentioned money that hadn’t been paid for previous jobs.
• Expedia records showed at 35 flights were purchased with a credit card linked to a suspect’s “romantic interest” for at least six people between July and October 2024. The passengers were later linked to the theft ring, the feds said. 
• According to court docs, the feds used electronic surveillance, cell phone records, social media, AirTags and witness interviews to identify the suspects.
• In January 2025, multiple vehicles stolen in Las Vegas were linked to a black BMW seen on surveillance in a parking garage.
• In February 2025, a suspect linked to a phone number and emails communicating about the stolen vehicles was arrested in Las Vegas from a flight in Houston. He had slim jims, blank key fobs and an Autel key re-programmer, court docs say.
• In March 2025, another co-conspirator was arrested pulling a trailor with two vehicles stolen from the Salt Lake City airport. He told the feds he had picked up the vehicles in Las Vegas and was driving them to Houston.
• Also in March 2025, a co-conspirator traveled to Fort Lauderdale and was later stopped in Amarillo driving a vehicle stolen from that airport.
• In May 2025, Surveillance video showed a co-conspirator stealing multiple vehicles from the Vegas airport. He was later identified through records from a “burner” phone, court docs say.
• The evidence lists nearly 30 other vehicles stolen from airports between 2021 and 2023.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations operating in the U.S. 

The following federal, state and local agencies are part of the ongoing investigations. 

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 
• Homeland Security Investigations 
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• FBI
• U.S. Marshals Service
• Customs and Border Protection
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• Houston Police Department
• Police departments in El Paso, Pharr, Las Vegas,  Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver
• Sheriff’s offices in El Paso and Hidalgo counties in Texas, Otero County in New Mexico, and Broward County in Florida.
• Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Department of Public Safety
• Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office
• Tarrant County Regional Auto Crimes Task Force

It’s not clear if arrests in 2024 and 2023 are related to the same theft ring, but the MOs were similar.

In 2024, court documents revealed that an organized crime ring out of Houston was accused of stealing $5 million worth of vehicles from DFW Airport. 

Three suspects were in custody. 

An arrest warrant for one of them, 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.

DFW Airport said the ring was responsible for 52 car thefts that totaled about $5 million. That’s an average of just under $100,000 per car.

RELATED: Theft ring believed to be targeting high-end cars parked at Houston airports

In 2023, the Houston Police Department announced that three suspects involved in an auto-theft ring that targeted Houston airport parking lots had been charged.

According to court documents, at least five vehicles were stolen from Bush Intercontinental Airport from February 2023 to May 2023.

Marco Castillo and Joe Aguirre have been charged with aggregate theft, a first-degree felony, after court records said they stole more than half a million dollars worth of vehicles from Houston airports during that time.

Those vehicles included a 2019 Cadillac CTS, Dodge Ram TRX, Camaro ZL1 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado.

Tracy Hicks, with the HPD’s auto-theft task force, said the best thing you can do to protect yourself while traveling is:

• Buying trackers 
• Upgrade your alarm to include motion sensors and get an ignition kill switch
• Use a rideshare to avoid leaving your car at the airport

Watch the update from HPD investigators in the video below: