Police in Houston, Texas uncover $100 million nationwide theft ring linked to Mexican cartel

HOUSTON — An investigation into theft at a Houston area mall revealed connections to a nationwide theft ring allegedly linked to Cartel Organizations in Mexico, according to court records.

On March 31, law enforcement surrounded a short-term rental home in southeast Houston to execute a search warrant.

In the court records, an officer from Katy police mentioned investigating “large-scale thefts” at Katy Mills Mall. The officer observed four individuals entering the mall on surveillance footage, all wearing earpieces commonly used for communication during theft activities.

In total, they got away with suitcases full of about $5,000 worth of merchandise from the Tommy Hilfiger and Guess stores.

The officer managed to trace the vehicle associated with the suspects to a residence in Houston. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at the residence on the same day. During the search, authorities found three bags filled with stolen clothing, two identification cards from Mexico, a press release from Beverly Hills police, three airline tickets, and other items, as stated in the court document.

Investigators found two men allegedly involved in the theft ring at a Home Depot in nearby Pearland and recognized one of them as part of a larger investigation, court records read.

In November of 2024 and January of 2025, Houston police and Homeland Security executed search warrants in Laredo and recovered $2 million in stolen retail merchandise.

They identified one of the men related to the Katy Mills Mall theft as being tied to the Laredo raid. The search warrant notes that the individual allegedly sent five boxes from Minnesota containing approximately $200,000 worth of stolen merchandise to Laredo.

“These boosters travel from major cities to major cities and rent Airbnb homes, and typically stay for approximately a week before moving on to another city,” the search warrant reads. “Previous search warrants at Airbnbs around the nation resulted in the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen retail merchandise.”

So far, the search warrant says 98 individuals have been linked to what is referred to as a South American Cartel Organization. In total, investigators say they are believed to be responsible for more than $100 million in theft across the U.S.

It is not clear if anyone has been arrested or charged in relation to the ring, despite individuals being named in the search warrant.

Our sister station KTRK contacted Katy police, the agency that wrote the search warrant, several times on Tuesday for comment but did not hear back.