Mexican National Guardsman arrested after letting stolen vehicles cross into Mexico, feds say

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A member of the Mexican National Guard was arrested after he allowed stolen vehicles to cross into Mexico from the U.S., court documents show.

Luis Enrique Guzman Pablo was arrested by the Homeland Security Investigations on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, federal records show.

A criminal complaint references an incident on May 19 where a red Chevrolet Blazer was reported stolen in Brownsville and crossed to Mexico through the Veterans International Bridge.

On July 11, Guzman was interviewed at the bridge, where he said he was a member of the Mexico National Guard and and was assigned to customs in Matamoros, according to the complaint.

During the interview, Guzman said he was contacted by other co-conspirators, who wanted him to allow stolen vehicles to cross from the U.S. into Mexico. Guzman said he agreed to assist them, and allowed several stolen vehicles to enter from the bridge while working for customs.

The complaint stated that a photo of the Chevrolet Blazer was found in Guzman's phone, and he admitted that it was one of the vehicles he allowed to cross. He also admitted that he was being paid to be a lookout and coordinator of stolen vehicles.

"Mr. Guzman stated that he would be paid for approximately 5-6 vehicles per night and would be paid approximately $150 in United States currency per vehicle," the complaint stated.

He said he had been facilitating the stolen vehicle scheme for the past two months.

HSI obtained WhatsApp records, which showed Guzman advising co-conspirators when to cross the stolen vehicles since at least May 6. HSI also found messages of Guzman offering to help in exchange for $150.

Guzman was taken into custody after attempting to re-enter through the bridge on July 13. He has an initial appearance scheduled for Monday morning.