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Cuban nationals arrested for nationwide multimillion-dollar auto theft ring

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Published  June 26, 2025 10:02am CDT
Immigration
FOX 26 Houston
article

The Brief

    • Two Cuban nationals have been arrested and charged in a large-scale operation involving the exportation of stolen vehicles.
    • The vehicles were primarily stolen from major airports across multiple U.S. cities and then allegedly resold or exported to Mexico.
    • The two men face significant prison time if convicted, with one also facing a money laundering charge.

TEXAS - Two Cuban nationals have been arrested and charged in connection with a large-scale operation involving the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced.

Sadiel Noa-Aguila, 42, of Pharr, and Miguel Baez-Echevarria, 36, of Las Vegas, Nevada, are accused of aiding and abetting the exportation of stolen vehicles. 

Major Metropolitan Airports Targeted

The backstory:

According to a criminal complaint unsealed when they were arrested, authorities launched an investigation in 2024 that uncovered a vast network linked to numerous vehicle thefts across the country. 

The charges allege that vehicles were primarily stolen from major metropolitan airports and surrounding areas, including Las Vegas; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Denver, Colorado; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Texas cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

Co-conspirators allegedly used electronic devices to steal the vehicles and reprogram key fobs. They then equipped the vehicles with fraudulent license plates or altered vehicle identification numbers before reselling them. Several vehicles were also allegedly exported to Mexico through ports of entry in Hidalgo County and El Paso.

The complaint alleges Noa-Aguila attempted to export a 2022 GMC Sierra AT4 through a Hidalgo County port of entry on Oct. 1, 2024. The vehicle had been reported stolen in Denver the previous month.

Baez-Echevarria is linked to the theft of at least 15 additional vehicles, and authorities estimate the organization stole vehicles worth millions of dollars in total.

What's next:

Noa-Aguila is scheduled to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker in McAllen at 9 a.m. Thursday. 

Baez-Echevarria is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Wexler in Las Vegas.

If convicted, they each face a maximum prison term of 10 years. 

Baez-Echevarria also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years.

The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas.

ImmigrationCrime and Public Safety