Austin. Truck theft up 150%. ILLEGALS!!!
I'm too lazy to look up the car theft rate in Phoenix and or south Arizona but it's my understanding tht it is way high because of illegals.
It's another case of a large-model truck with the backseats removed in order to transport illegal immigrants. Friday the Round Rock officer found a dozen people packed into a pick-up.
The truck in the Round Rock case wasn't reported stolen, but the bust comes just one day after Austin police alerted the public about skyrocketing thefts of those bigger pick-up trucks for this very reason.
"The intelligence is showing us they're immediately making a run for the border and coming back before you even know your truck is gone," said Sergeant Robert Hightower with the Austin Police Department.
The truck stopped in Round Rock Friday contained a driver, nine adults, and two teenagers -- all believed to be Mexican nationals. Some of them are expected to remain in the United States to testify in the case.
"We do know one person will be charged with alien smuggling, and the investigation continues," said Pruneda of Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
Big trucks mean big business for smugglers -- who use them to bring in illegal immigrants, sometimes dropping them off right here in Austin.
Police say criminals are taking the trucks -- in some cases ripping out the back seats -- then driving down near the border and using them to smuggle in upwards of a dozen illegal immigrants at a time.
The Austin Police Department estimates 120 trucks have been stolen in just the last two months.
Thefts of Dodge Rams are up 122 percent from 2007. And the Ford F350 -- it's up 300 percent.
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Comment by riffran— 2008/03/15 @ 06:09 PM — (Reply)