Two Cuban nationals, Sadiel Noa-Aguila and Miguel Baez-Echevarria, have been arrested on charges related to the exportation of stolen motor vehicles. The arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Noa-Aguila, aged 42, and Baez-Echevarria, aged 36, lived in Pharr and Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively. Noa-Aguila is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker in McAllen at 9 a.m., while Baez will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Wexler in Las Vegas.
The criminal complaint revealed that an investigation launched in 2024 uncovered a significant auto theft ring linked to numerous vehicle thefts across the nation. The charges indicate that vehicles were primarily stolen from major metropolitan airports and surrounding areas such as Las Vegas; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Denver, Colorado; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Texas cities including Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
Co-conspirators allegedly used electronic devices to steal vehicles and reprogram key fobs as part of the scheme. The vehicles were then equipped with fraudulent license plates or altered vehicle identification numbers before being resold. Some vehicles were reportedly exported to Mexico through ports of entry in Hidalgo County and El Paso.
Noa-Aguila is accused of attempting to export a stolen 2022 GMC Sierra AT4 through a port of entry in Hidalgo County on October 1, 2024. This vehicle had been reported stolen in Denver the previous month.
The charges further allege that Baez is connected to the theft of at least 15 additional vehicles, with estimates suggesting the organization stole vehicles worth millions of dollars.
Both individuals face charges of aiding and abetting the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, which carries a maximum prison term of ten years upon conviction. Baez also faces conspiracy to commit money laundering charges for which he could receive up to twenty years in federal prison.
The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations along with several other law enforcement agencies including the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is prosecuting this case under Operation Take Back America—an initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due process.
