7 arrested in California cross-border farm equipment theft ring

The Tulare County Sherriff's Office said they have arrested seven people believed to be involved in a "sophisticated criminal network" that would steal farm equipment across the border into Mexico.

On Tuesday, five people were arrested as part of “Operation Tractor Pull."

These suspects are believed to be a part of the operation to traffic-heavy equipment into Mexico: 30-year-old Noe Guevara of Los Banos, 43-year-old Joel Avila of Hollister, 32-year-old Isrrael Garrido Cortez of Lindsay and 24-year-old Nicolas Ruiz Cruz of Salinas.

The Tulare County Sherriff's Office said that search warrants were served in San Benito, Fresno, Merced and Tulare Counties. They located three stolen trailers, a stolen generator, $46,000 in cash, two truck-bed loads of processed marijuana, two handguns, two rifles and three shotguns.

All four suspects face charges for grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and receiving stolen property charges, per the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.

Cortez also faces charges of operating a drug house for the sale of controlled substances.

The sheriff's office also said that three of the suspects have "significant border crossing history."

Ivan Garcia, still an outstanding suspect, was caught smuggling drugs across in 2022. Marco Antonio Alvarez Medrano, a resident of Mexico who is still outstanding, owns a trucking company that has been flagged by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol for trafficking drugs for La Linea Cartel.

Francisco Javier Diaz Garcia, 33, was said to have crossed the border 23 times in October and has crossed more than 500 times in the last two years.

The sheriff's office says that there are still five outstanding suspects in this case.

This case began back in March when the sheriff's office was made aware of several agriculture equipment thefts.

A semitruck driver, 22-year-old Juan Carlos Murrufo and 31-year-old Endi Jesus Lopez Bustillos, both from Mexican, were arrested as a result.

"Murrufo and Bustillos told Detectives about multiple trips they had made, hauling equipment stolen from around the Valley across the open border to various locations in Mexico," said the sheriff's office.

Over the next several months, they discovered the operation spanned several counties in this equipment smuggling to Mexico.

The operation has accounted for more than $2.25 million in stolen equipment, and about $1.3 million has been recovered. The sheriff's office says 24 pieces of equipment was stolen and recovered in total.