Fake Trucks Used to Smuggle Drugs, Money and Illegal Aliens Across the Border…

By BRIAN ROSS

Savvy criminals are using some of the country’s most credible logos, including FedEx, Wal-Mart, DirecTV and the U.S. Border Patrol, to create fake trucks to smuggle drugs, money and illegal aliens across the border, according to a report by the Florida department of Law Enforcement.

Termed “cloned” vehicles, the report also warns that terrorists could use the same fake trucks to gain access to secure areas with hidden weapons.

The report says criminals have been able to easily obtain the necessary vinyl logo markings and signs for $6,000 or less. Authorities say “cosmetically cloned commercial vehicles are not illegal.”

In August 2006, the Texas Department of Public Safety, on a routine traffic stop, found 3,058 pounds of marijuana and 204 kilograms of cocaine in a “cloned” Wal-Mart semi-trailer, driven by a man wearing a Wal-Mart uniform.

In another case, a truck painted with DirecTV and other markings was pulled over in a routine traffic stop in Mississippi and discovered to be carrying 786 pounds of cocaine.

Police said they became suspicious because the truck carried the markings or DirecTV and several of its rivals. An 800 number on the truck’s rear to report bad driving referred callers to an adult sex chat line.

Trucks and vans marked as ambulances or law enforcement vehicles create the greatest concern, according to the report.

A fake U.S. Border Patrol van was found to be carrying 31 illegal aliens in Casa Grande, Ariz.

An alert agent recognized that the “H” in the van’s serial number is a letter used only on U.S. Border Patrol Jeep Wranglers. It should have been a “P.”

“Neither emergency service vehicles nor any government vehicles are exempt from terrorist or other criminal use,” the report warns its law enforcement readers.

‘Fake’ Vehicle — M.O. for Transporting Contraband? FedEx delivery trucks have been used more than once on the “cloned” vehicle circuit. In one incident in January 2004, Arizona public safety officials stopped a FedEx delivery vehicle driven by a man wearing authentic-looking FedEx jacket and pants. The driver stated he was paid $500 to drive the van to an Ajo, Ariz. address, which led official to believe it would be used for drug trafficking.

Missouri Highway Patrol also nabbed a FedEx delivery vehicle parked at a local store in February 2005. Officers contacted the driver and seized 1,300 pounds of marijuana hidden inside U-Haul boxes. The van’s registration traced back to a Houston, Texas address.
(Florida Department of Law Enforcement)

‘Fake’ Vehicle — M.O. for Transporting Contraband? A 2006 Texas highway stop resulted in the seizure of about 3,085 pounds of marujuana and 204 kilograms of cocaine from this cloned 18-wheeler. The truck and trailer boasted logos and markings for superstore Wal-Mart, and the driver even donned a Wal-Mart uniform. The commercial license plate was also cloned from a legitimate plate that was traced back to Wal-Mart Transportation, Inc. Further investigation revealed the truck and trailer did not belong to the Wal-Mart fleet, and the driver was not a Wal-Mart employee. The truck had eluded law enforcement several times before this traffic stop.
(FDLE)

‘Fake’ Vehicle — M.O. for Transporting Contraband?

Mississippi police stopped this 2006 Ford van covered in decal markings for competing cable companies DirecTV, Cox Communications, Dish Network, Comcast and Adelphia and found 786 pounds of cocaine. The Pearl, Miss., police believe the vehicle was a clone for several reasons. There was no license plate attached, but there was a chrome license plate bracket, which is an extra cost most companies avoid. The cable decals were of rival companies, and after a close look, it became clear they were distorted because they were enlarged. The 800 number to complain about bad driving was spelled wrong — advice vs. advise — and when dialed, referred calls to an adult chat line that charges $.99 per minute.
(FDLE)

‘Fake’ Vehicle — M.O. for Transporting Contraband? Georgia police caught this vehicle and the $1.07 million it was hiding. The cash was hidden inside hollowed-out spools of wire in the cargo area of the van which had DirecTV markings and logos on its exterior. The Temple, Ga., police said the vehicle was a clone because it had after-market license plate decals on the front and back as well as after-market CD player in the console. Upon a closer look, officers found the vehicle not to be a member of the DirecTV fleet.
(FDLE)

‘Fake’ Vehicle — M.O. for Transporting Contraband? The Pearl, Miss. police department stopped this vehicle covered in decal markings of the Mountain Dew Cola Company, specifically Diet Mountain Dew, in October 2006 and found several hundred pounds of marijuana inside. Some of the indicators that led the officers to label this van a clone were no company phone numbers anywhere on the van; the vehicle was a 2001 model, which conflicts with most service vehicles being only one- to two-years-old; and the registration tag was a Georgia wildlife tag, which is an extra cost most companies avoid.
(FDLE) ‘Fake’ Vehicle — M.O. for Transporting Contraband? U.S. Border Patrol agents caught a clone of one of their own vehicles, a U.S. Border Patrol van, in Casa Grande, Ariz., in October 2006. As the agents approached the van, its driver fled into Mexico, abandoning the 31 illegal aliens inside. They said they were picked up near Altar, Sonora, Mexico. The van had U.S. Border Patrol marking, Arizona plates and an ID number that is inconsistent with Border Patrol vehicle identification conventions.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4156618&page=1%3C/a%3E

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