HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A theft investigation at a Houston area mall was found to have ties to a nationwide theft ring “directly tied to Cartel Organizations in Mexico,” court records say.
On March 31, law enforcement surrounded a short-term rental home on Wempe Way in southeast Houston to execute a search warrant.
In the court record, the investigating officer with Katy police said he was investigating “large-scale thefts” at the Katy Mills Mall. He saw four men enter the mall on surveillance video wearing earpieces, which he noted is a common form of communication for individuals committing theft.
In total, they got away with suitcases full of about $5,000 worth of merchandise from the Tommy Hilfiger and Guess stores.
The investigating officer was able to track the car to the home on Wempe Way, and on the same day, a search warrant was executed on the home. The court document said investigators seized three bags worth of stolen clothing, two Mexico IDs, a Beverly Hills police release, three airline tickets, and more.
Investigators found two men involved 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 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.
ABC13 contacted Katy police, the agency that wrote the search warrant, several times on Tuesday for comment, but did not hear back.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.
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