Presidio County sheriff’s deputies investigating vehicles transported through the county by transmigrante carriers discovered a 2026 Ford Raptor bearing what authorities say were fictitious vehicle identification number stickers and other identifiers.
The truck, valued by the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office at between $65,000 and $75,000, was scheduled to be transported across the U.S.-Mexico border into Mexico.
During the investigation, deputies determined the VIN displayed on the Raptor was assigned to a different vehicle that had been damaged and was considered no longer useful, according to Chief Deputy Joel Nuñez Jr.
Investigators located records for the vehicle legitimately associated with that VIN and determined it belongs to a California-based auction company.
The discovery has drawn interest from federal law enforcement agencies investigating whether the Raptor could be connected to a broader vehicle theft and fraudulent-documentation operation involving vehicles originating in California, traveling through Presidio County and ultimately being transported into Mexico, Nuñez said.
Deputies are working to identify the registered owners of the Raptor and determine how the vehicle obtained the allegedly fictitious VIN and other identifying information.
The Sheriff’s Office said local, state and federal law enforcement partners are involved as investigators work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the truck.
The investigation is part of an ongoing effort by the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office to inspect vehicles moving through the county and identify potentially stolen or illegally obtained vehicles before they leave the United States.
