Mexican man, juvenile arrested for stealing Jeep for Gulf Cartel

A Mexican national was arrested Friday in Cameron County for his role in allegedly attempting to export a stolen vehicle for the Gulf Cartel.

Angel David Salas-Herrera, 19, is accused of trying to export a stolen Jeep Gladiator into Mexico to sell the vehicle to the Gulf Cartel before being involved in a car chase between a juvenile driver and a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced in a press release.

On Friday, the trooper encountered the Gladiator that had been previously reported stolen out of Edinburg when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

However, the driver of the Gladiator refused to stop which led to a chase that eventually came to an end when the Gladiator crashed near a residence in Brownsville.

Salas-Herrera was then identified as the passenger of the Gladiator and a juvenile as the driver.

A search of the vehicle yielded multiple key fobs, “an access device utilized to reprogram key fobs,” and a Glock pistol that had also been reported stolen, according to the complaint.

In an interview with law enforcement, Salas-Herrera stated that he was involved in the theft of the Gladiator, that he got the pistol during the theft of a stolen vehicle and intended to export the stolen Gladiator to Mexico to the Gulf Cartel in exchange for payment.

He added that he didn’t know the Gulf Cartel was designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

“Salas also provided the location of two additional stolen vehicles that were intended to be exported to Mexico,” the complaint said. “The vehicles were subsequently recovered by law enforcement.”

Salas-Herrera, who is in the country illegally, made his first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano in McAllen federal court Monday morning.

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