Denver Grand Jury Indicts 17 Defendants Connected to Major Stolen Car Ring

DENVER — Denver District Attorney Beth McCann today announced that a Denver grand jury has indicted 17 defendants in connection with a major auto theft ring in the Denver area.

The indictment contains 222 charges, including numerous violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, more than one hundred counts of auto theft, more than a dozen counts of drug possession and distribution, and multiple counts of identity theft, theft, criminal possession of identification documents, and criminal possession of financial devices.

It is alleged that, between September 2022 and February 2024, the defendants stole at least 190 vehicles (typically, high-end pick-up trucks), which resulted in the loss of approximately $9.5 million. The defendants are alleged to have coordinated the transportation of the stolen motor vehicles to Mexico, where the vehicles were often given to drug cartel members in exchange for cocaine and methamphetamine that was then imported into the U.S. and brought to Denver.

The investigation, which lasted more than one year, was a joint effort of the Colorado Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the Denver DA’s office.

“These indictments should send the message that people who steal cars in Denver will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The number of stolen cars in Denver has decreased dramatically over the past two years thanks, in large part, to the incredible work of the law enforcement community.  I am confident that the arrests of these 17 defendants will drive the number of stolen cars even lower,” said DA McCann.  “I want to thank the prosecutors and investigators in my office for their incredible work on this case.  I also want to thank all the law enforcement agencies who worked together on this lengthy investigation to continue to keep our city safe.”

About the Denver DA’s Office:

Our mission is to professionally and competently prosecute crimes and investigate criminal activity on behalf of the people of Colorado, and to seek equal justice for all in the criminal justice system. Our mission also includes preventing and deterring crimes; supporting victims; participating in the community; being transparent and accountable; and improving the criminal justice system to provide fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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