In Houston, the long arm of the law caught up with a syndicate accused of snatching luxury vehicles for years, according to authorities. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner revealed an elaborate bust that has put the alleged ringleaders and their accomplices in the hot seat. But there are several suspects that are already hitting the streets again, according to FOX 26 Houston.
The key suspect, 33-year-old Mazimiliano Rodriquez, known in underground circles as "Max," is tied to over $10 million in lifted rides, as per the police. Despite a whopping $1.5 million bond that's currently got Rodriguez behind bars, his purported partners in crime are not sharing his fate. "Of the 23, eight are actually out on bond as we speak," Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers stated with alarm. Known to snatch cars while their owners jet-set from airports, the brains of the operation, Joe Aguirre, is out on the street on 13 bonds, strategizing his next move, according to FOX 26 Houston.
Chasing Max and his motors was the Houston Auto Crimes Task Force, a detective unit funded by the Texas Motor Crime Prevention Authority. Having Max under their radar since April 2021, the authorities observed his craft in real-time in June 2022, witnessing Max along with his crew altering VIN numbers and making clean getaways with high-end automobiles.
"Max would provide them with a work phone, work car, programming device, blank keys, and fake paper plates. Max would also give them specific vehicles to steal. Once the vehicle was stolen, Max would pay them for their work. He would sometimes have his workers on Facetime as his workers drove around luxury complexes so he would direct them to vehicles he wanted them to steal.," Lt. Tolan Harding detailed the operation. Yet, the law caught up with Max in a coordinated sting on September 8, 2023, described by CW39.
"I really hope the criminal justice system looks at cases like this – $10M in vehicles we know about. This is a person who is a predator. He (Max) is causing havoc. I’ll let the courts do what they do, but hopefully, everybody understands that people like this need to be locked up and in jail. Everyone has due process. Let’s do what we need to do as a collective criminal justice entity." Finner said, as told to CW39.
