California's Privacy Laws Are Helping Cartels Build Luxury Auto Fleets

If you’re a cartel boss looking for some sweet new wheels, you're unlikely to sit in the sales office filling out pages and pages of a lease agreement. And since you’re likely a ruthless sort indeed if you made it to the top of the drug-dealing, human-trafficking world, you’re also probably not interested in parting with any of your money or dealing with a talkative salesman.

The solution? Just steal your car. Or, even better, steal lots of them.

The capos are doing just that, according to a report Sunday by The Los Angeles Times, and they’re doing it by the thousands:

Mexican cartels are stealing cars and trucks from U.S. rental agencies at an alarming rate, spiriting thousands of vehicles across the border each year to keep top capos in the latest model BMWs and Cadillacs.

You won’t be surprised to learn which state is at the top of the list of targets:

Law enforcement agencies and companies charged with trying to recover stolen vehicles say that while much of the thefts occur in border states, cartel operatives have stolen vehicles from as far away as New York, Chicago and Miami. But California remains the top target.
Each year, about 850 vehicles stolen from California end up in Mexico, according to the California Highway Patrol. LAPD Sgt. Juvey Mejia, a member of the Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention, said the cartels love heavy-duty pickup trucks and Jeeps.
“Anything that can drive through tough terrain to get away from Border Patrol so they can move dope,” Mejia said.

Overall, the number of U.S. rental vehicles ending up illicitly in Mexico is believed to be in the thousands each year.

My friend and California State Senate District 22 candidate Mike Netter notes that California’s strict GPS restrictions on companies that want to locate their vehicles exacerbate the problem:

Mexican cartels are building luxury fleets by stealing U.S. rental cars
Mexican cartels are stealing thousands of U.S. rental cars and trucks to build luxury fleets and outfit vehicles with armor and gun mounts. California is a prime target, in part, because of its restrictive… pic.twitter.com/bOtD3o8oYb
— Mike Netter (@nettermike) October 11, 2026

Mexican cartels are building luxury fleets by stealing U.S. rental cars Mexican cartels are stealing thousands of U.S. rental cars and trucks to build luxury fleets and outfit vehicles with armor and gun mounts. California is a prime target, in part, because of its restrictive privacy laws on GPS tracking of rental vehicles.

So you can thank California Politicians for helping the Cartels How do you feel about that?

Putting limits on the technology makes sense; nobody wants Hertz or Avis watching their every move. But as is so often the case, the Golden State appears to have gone too far:

Unlike other states, California requires that rental agencies wait to turn on GPS tracking until the vehicle return deadline has passed and the renter has been contacted by the company. By then, most stolen vehicles are deep in Mexican territory.
“California allows criminals to take advantage of the fact that we are not allowed to see where the vehicle is until it’s too late,” Laguana said. The American Car Rental Assn., a trade group, said in a statement that California laws make it harder to recover vehicles.

The drug lords have high-end tastes and have an affinity for Cadillac Escalades and BMW SUVs. They also steal Chevy Suburbans, Ford Raptors, and Toyota pickups for field work, many of which they turn into “mutant tanks” with steel plating, firing ports, and gun mounts.

If you’ve ever had the unpleasant experience of walking up to a rental counter only to be told that they ran out of cars and can’t honor your reservation, now you know a potential reason why.

Your car is on vacation in Mexico.

Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.

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