Insurance company recovers stolen vehicles from Mexico

MERCEDES — Eight battered trucks and SUVs returned to the United States on Wednesday months after being stolen and taken into Mexico.

Allstate Insurance Co. recovered the vehicles, which belonged to their clients, as part of a new initiative aimed at reversing last year’s 12 percent increase in stolen cars among its Rio Grande Valley.

The insurance agency has started sending investigators into Mexican border towns to check vehicle identification numbers from stolen cars against the VINs of cars for sale south of the border. When investigators find a match, Allstate then works with Mexican and U.S. authorities to bring the vehicles back to the United States.

The program started about two months ago and returned the first vehicles to the United States last week. The collection of large trucks and SUVs sat in a gravel lot at Copart Auto, a vehicle remarketing company.

“Some of these cars really have a story to tell,” Allstate spokeswoman Kristen Beaman said.

Law enforcement agencies across the Valley routinely contend with auto theft rings, which are believed to steal large passenger vehicles for smuggling illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States. McAllen police alone received 547 reports of motor vehicle theft in 2007. Investigators say thieves routinely steal vehicles from U.S. border cities and cross them into Mexico.

Organized crime groups buy the cars from thieves, showing a preference for acquiring large, newer-model trucks and SUVs. They then often rip the seats out and pack illegal immigrants and drugs into the back. The large vehicles can easily traverse shallow parts of the Rio Grande and remote terrain, making them ideal for smuggling.

Some of the recovered cars showed signs of such usage.

A white 2005 Chevrolet Suburban had every seat except the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat ripped out. The steering column was damaged and dents and scratches marred the exterior — all signs consistent with smuggling. The Suburban, once owned by someone in the Valley, still sported a “Don’t Mess with Texas” bumper sticker.

Neither it nor the other seven vehicles that were on display will be returned to their owners. Allstate has already paid claims for the owners to buy new vehicles. Company officials, however, said they hope to auction the vehicles to recoup some of the expenses.

If auto theft continues to rise, Allstate could eventually raise rates, Beaman said. Selling these vehicles at auction will offset some those costs.

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Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.