Mexican cartels contribute to auto thefts in NM

UNHARMED THOSE IN THE TRENCHES WILL TELL YOU THE WAR AGAINST CAR THIEVES IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS GOTTEN CRAZY IN FACT — THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA NOW RANKS AS ONE OF THE 10 WORST IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY — WITH 15 TO 20 CARS STOLEN EVERY DAY NO ONE UNDERSTANDS THE BATTLE BETTER THAN ONE DETECTIVE WHO S PART OF A SMALL TEAM GOING UP AGAINST THE HUGE PROBLEM TONIGHT HE DETAILS WHY THIEVES STEAL WHAT THEY STEAL — AND WHERE THOSE THOUSANDS OF STOLEN CARS TRUCKS AND S-U-V S ARE GOING WE SEE THEM ON T-V ON ALL TIME — STOLEN CARS BEING USED FOR CRIMES POLICE CHASES ENDING WITH THIEVES CRASHING STOLEN CARS AND POLICE SLAPPING THE CUFFS ON THE THIEVES 21 25 we started out number 22 in the country moved up to 13th and now we re 7th in the last 3 years DETECTIVE BILL WEBB — IS ONE OF TEN MEN FROM THE B-C-S-O AND A-P-D THAT MAKE UP THE STATE S ONLY AUTO THEFT UNIT 3 33 when you re losing 65 hundred to 7 thousand vehicles a year that s not acceptable 3 38 WE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE CARS ABOUT 75-PERCENT OF THEM NEVER LEAVE THE METRO AREA — AND ARE RECOVERED WITHIN A MONTH — OFTEN WITH A DIFFERENT LICENSE PLATE A LOT OF THEM ARE STOLEN BY PEOPLE WHO JUST NEED SOME WHEELS TO GET AROUND OR BY METH-HEADS WHO SELL THEM FOR A QUICK BUCK THEN THERE ARE THE GANG-BANGERS AND THE CRIMINALS 7 33 they use them for drive by shootings they use them to commit homicides armed robberies bank robberies everything all the way down to shoplifting 7 38 A LOT OF TIMES WHEN THEY FIND YOUR CAR — YOU WOULD N T EVEN RECOGNIZE IT 25 43 this is what we consider a surgically stripped vehicle they ve taken everything out of it The engine the transmission 25 48 SINCE 99-PERCENT OF THE PARTS HAVE NO SERIAL NUMBERS — THEY HIT THE BLACK MARKET STOLEN PARTS ARE EVEN SHOWING UP ON E-BAY WE TYPED IN STEERING WHEEL FOR A 1997 HONDA CIVIC — CAR THIEVES LOVE THE CIVIC — WE FOUND NEARLY 400 STEERING WHEELS AND IT S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL HOW MANY OF THEM ARE HOT SO WHAT ABOUT THE STOLEN CARS THAT DON T TURN UP 5 55 it s that 20 to 25 percent we re not recovering that the auto theft investigators are really concerned with 6 02 WEBB SAYS ORGANIZED CRIME — ESPECIALLY THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS — INCLUDING LOS ZETAS WHICH OPERATES IN NEW MEXICO — ARE PUTTING IN PERSONAL ORDERS THAT THEIR GANGSTERS OR METH-HEADS CARRY OUT 12 14 someone in cartel may want a maroon colored ford f- 350 king ranch edition It s their task to come and find it and take it 12 27 THE CARTELS ARE ALSO ORDERING VEHICLES TO BE USED IN THEIR BUSINESS WEBB SAYS IF IT S A PICKUP TRUCK AN S-U-V OR A MINIVAN — IT S PROBABLY HEADING SOUTH OF THE BORDER — SOMETIMES WITH MONEY OR GUNS THAT PART S A BREEZE BECAUSE MOST VEHICLE DON T GET CHECKED WITHIN DAYS A LOT OF THOSE VEHICLES ARE COMING RIGHT BACK INTO THE U-S — ONLY THIS TIME THEY RE FULL OF DRUGS OR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS 14 08 the mexican border is so porous you can go 10 miles in either direction from a port and find a crossing 14 13 ALSO PART OF THE 25-PERCENT OF THE STOLEN VEHICLES THAT ARE NEVER RECOVERED — CARS LIKE THIS CADILLAC THAT WAS EVENTUALLY RECOVERED HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE THE THIEVES BOUGHT A TOTALED CADILLAC — SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL — AT A SALVAGE YARD OR AUCTION THEN THEY STOLE THIS CADDIE AND SWITCHED THE VIN FROM THE SMASHED UP ONE INTO THIS STOLEN ONE THEN THEY SELL THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP OR TO AN UNSUSPECTING BUYER IN THE CLASSIFIEDS WHILE THEY WILL BOOST A CADDIE HERE AND THERE — THEIR FAVORITES ARE JAPANESE — ESPECIALLY HONDAS AND ACURAS BUT SATURNS ARE GETTING MORE POPULAR INVESTIGATORS SAY A LOT OF THE SMALL CARS ARE STOLEN FOR PARTS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE THIEVES WHEN THEY CATCH THEM WEBB SAYS THEY RE OFTEN IN AND OUT OF JAIL IN NO TIME BECAUSE STEALING A CAR IS NOT CONSIDERED A VIOLENT CRIME THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE FOR BEING CAUGHT WITH A STOLEN CAR IS 18 MONTHS — THE MAX FOR STEALING A