A CRIMINALS DREAM TRUCK.

In Houston there's a big problem when it comes to truck theft and if you drive an F-Series pickup then you're on the hot list. Police officials in Houston and border towns say that these trucks are being stolen for Mexican criminal cartels who use them as vehicles for narcotics and human trafficking.

In 2006, thieves made off with 888 of the F-250s and F-350s from locations in Houston, according to Lt. Scott Dombrowski, of the Houston Police Department's auto theft division.

In 2007, he said, thefts of the same models increased 40 percent, to 1,245.

During the same two-year period, police say, the overall number of vehicle thefts in the city fell slightly.

Cartels are stealing the Ford trucks, in part, to evade increasing law enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities say.

The trucks, many equipped with double cabs and four-wheel drive, hold a lot of cargo and can easily cross remote areas.

Experts say the big Fords have also been easier to steal than other trucks.

"You can steal these trucks with a screwdriver," Dombrowski said.


Source: Houston Chronicle