Police Arrest 4 Accused Of Being In Auto Theft Ring

Police arrested four San Elizario men accused of being part of an auto theft ring and linked them to nine vehicle thefts in the Borderland, police officials said.

Thursday evening, police officers stopped a Chevrolet pick-up truck with a flat bed trailer carrying some construction equipment in the 12200 block of North Loop.

Detectives specializing in auto thefts began an investigation and discovered the pick-up truck had been reported stolen earlier this year. They also discovered the four men in the truck stole the construction equipment found on the flat bed trailer from a construction site on the 13300 block of Gateway West.

The four men were arrested and charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. They were identified by police officials as Daniel Lopez, 26, of the 11600 block of Socorro Road; Roberto Carrasco, 21, of the 1000 block of Campomo; Gabriel Ruiz, 21, of the 1300 block of Las Pampas; and Andres Pacheco, 28, of the 11600 block of Socorro Road. Once they were jailed, the bond for each one of the suspects was set at $50,000.

According to police, investigators recovered two other stolen pick-up trucks and were also able to clear five other stolen vehicle cases as a result of the arrests.