PHOENIX — The men who were captured on video pointing a weapon at a West Valley home while stealing a truck from the driveway have been arrested and are facing numerous felony charges.
Court documents said Jorge Aguilar, Andrew Reyes, Luis Rodriguez, and Douglas Zelaya were allegedly running an illegal operation targeting high-priced trucks across the Valley. Officials estimated the stolen trucks' estimated value at $1.4 million.
In one video 12News first showed you in October, one of the suspects can be seen pointing a semiautomatic weapon at the Waddell home during the theft.
Detectives with the Arizona Department of Public Safety said the men would steal the trucks, put fake license plates on them and take them to Mexico to be sold for cash.
“They come across from the border, they steal the vehicles and take them back," the homeowner, Michael Florant, predicted back in October. "It's definitely a larger organization. These guys are organized. They're not worried about getting caught."
Aguilar, the group's alleged ringleader, would recruit drivers and scouts and let them live in his Phoenix home while the crimes were being committed, court documents said.
In the Waddell theft, officials say Reyes pointed the gun at the home while Rodriguez used an electronic device to break into the truck and drive it away. Zelaya drove the vehicle the criminals arrived in and Aguilar organized the crime, documents said.
Former ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) agent BJ Zapor said it is highly likely these young men were recruited by cartels in Mexico. He says they have multiple uses for high-priced, American-made trucks to help further their criminal activity.
“There's a direct nexus between Arizona vehicles and vehicles that end up in the Republic of Mexico. They're used for narcotics trafficking. They're stolen by corrupt law enforcement," Zapor said. "This is an influence not from somebody in Arizona. There's an influence greater than that, and I would suspect that involves cartels in Mexico."
The three involved in the Waddell truck theft are referred to as "drivers." All three are said to be American citizens, according to court documents. Zapor says this proves the influence transnational criminal organizations can have on American soil.
“You had somebody standing there with a weapon of war pointing at the door of somebody who's in their house sleeping after a hard day work. They have their truck out in the driveway, and they're prepared to kill that person," Zapor said. "They're not going to be deterred by arrests or discovery or any of these other things, because they've already made the decision of life or death in their exploits."
All four men have been charged with one count of "fraudulent schemes and artifaces," according to court records. If convicted, they could face anywhere from four to 12 years in prison.
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