The Denver District Attorney’s office on Monday announced the indictments of 17 suspects allegedly involved in an elaborate car theft ring connected to at least 190 stolen vehicles in metro Denver.

Some stolen vehicles, notably pickup trucks, were exchanged in Mexico for illegal drugs smuggled into the United States, according to Denver DA officials.

“These indictments should send the message that people who steal cars in Denver will be caught and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said at a news conference Monday.

As of Monday, the vehicle theft operation has stolen $9.5 million worth of property in Denver, McCann said.

Not all of the 17 suspects are in custody. Eleven are, but six remain on-the-loose, according to the DA office.

Officials said some of the suspects were caught, multiple are still at-large in metro Denver and some are either at-large in Texas or Mexico.

Joaquin Orozco-Ponce, otherwise known as “Adrian Trocas,” is the suspected ringleader. He remains at-large and faces a $10 million bond once arrested on the felony charges, according to DA officials.

The DA’s year-long investigation revealed that between September 2022 and  February 2024, at least 190 vehicles were stolen. The majority of car thefts involved pickup trucks located near Denver International Airport, according to investigators.

A prosecutor said Denver was targeted by the vehicle theft ring because of it being a large international travel hub, adding the abundance of pick up trucks in metro Denver was also a factor.

Investigators noted the thieves would take the car, drive it down to the El Paso border, then exchange the vehicle for illegal drugs to smuggle back. Illegal drugs carried into the United States included fentanyl, methamphetamines and cocaine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division.

“It’s something akin to what you would see in a Hollywood movie,” said David Olesky, the assistant special agent in charge at DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division.

“These weren’t simply individuals looking to steal a car for a joy ride, it was a multi-million dollar international enterprise which robbed far too many here in the state of Colorado,” Olesky said. “Our DEA agents were able to link this group to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful Mexico-based organizations, notably responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine into our nation.”

The 255-page indictment shows the 17 car thieves are facing 222 counts of vehicle theft, menacing, drug smuggling and identity theft indictments. Within some of the recovered stolen vehicles, authorities found cash, firearms, drugs and other personal items stolen with the vehicle.

Methods of stealing the vehicles included the use of key fob deactivation devices, according to the DA’s office.

Despite the 190 counts of vehicle theft, officials said metro Denver is on the downslope when it comes to vehicle thefts in metro Denver. In fact, DA officials said, the metro area has witnessed a 23% decrease in stolen vehicles in 2024, compared to 2023.