Charges Filed in Vehicle Theft Ring at Houston’s Airports, Police Say

Jun. 30—Three men have been charged and others are also suspected of operating a ring that has stolen high-end trucks and high-powered vehicles from the garages at Houston's airports, according to investigators.

Marco Castillo and Joe Angel Aguirre, both 22, have been charged with theft exceeding $300,000 in connection with the scheme, according to court records. Another other person, who has not been identified to the public, is also charged, according to officer Daniel Davila, who is directing the investigation. And others are suspected in connection with the auto-theft ring, Davila said.

"We've dealt with these suspects before," Davila said.

Police officials this week declined to say exactly how many vehicles had been stolen out of the city airport garages, explaining that they were working to get more detailed numbers specifically from the airports. But Houston television station ABC13 reported that about 800 vehicles were stolen from Bush International Airport and Hobby Airport — a number investigators said was bloated because it incorporated thefts from surrounding areas beyond the airport.

The case came together in February when Davila got a call from someone who reported he'd left his 2019 Cadillac in the Terminal C garage at Bush Intercontinental Airport and, shortly after, received a notification on his phone that the vehicle was being tampered with, according to court filings. Security video showed the vehicle the man had called about leaving the lot, trailed by several other stolen vehicles, just over an hour after it had been parked there.

Davila recognized Aguirre on security video because he'd arrested him previously for stealing cars at the airport, according to court documents. When officers went to Aguirre's home in hopes of finding the stolen Cadillac, they found another missing vehicle parked across the street. That address was listed in connection with Castillo, according to court documents.

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