Men charged in nationwide car theft ring involving Salt Lake City airport

McALLEN, Texas (ABC4) — Two men have been arrested for their roles in a nationwide car theft ring involving multiple major airports, including the Salt Lake City airport.

Sadiel Noa-Aguila, 42, and Miguel Baez-Echevarria, 36, have been federally charged with aiding and abetting the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, according to the Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s office. Baez-Echevarria was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In 2024, authorities began an investigation into a theft ring that was linked to numerous vehicle thefts across the country. According to the charges, the cars were stolen from airports within major metropolitan airports, including Salt Lake City; Las Vegas; Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

Allegedly, alongside co-conspirators, they used electronic devices to reprogram key fobs in order to steal the vehicles and then put on fake license plates or changed vehicle identification numbers before selling them. Some of the vehicles were then exported to Mexico.

Noa-Aguila was linked to attempting to export one vehicle to Mexico, according to the charges. Baez-Echevarria was allegedly linked to the theft of at least 15 vehicles.

The larger theft ring is alleged to have stolen millions of dollars’ worth of vehicles.

The investigation was a multi-agency effort, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. They were assisted by the FBI, U.S. Marshall’s Service, Customs and Border Protection, and ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations. Multiple local and state agencies were also involved.

This investigation was part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative that works to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational crime organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.