Mexico’s federal prosecutor in Baja California refused to provide details about four stolen luxury vehicles found hidden inside shipping containers at the Ensenada maritime port on May 29, despite the fact that some of the requested information is legally public record.
Teófila González Lozada, the Baja California delegate of the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR, Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office), was questioned by reporters on June 1 during a ceremony marking the 84th anniversary of National Navy Day at Ensenada’s Plaza Cívica. She declined to answer questions about the types of vehicles recovered, the company responsible for shipping them, or the status of the investigation.
Navy Led the Search Operation
The Secretaría de Marina (Semar), Mexico’s Navy, carried out the operation through the Armada de México and its Second Naval Zone. Personnel established a perimeter at the port facility and, working alongside the FGR and the Policía Federal Ministerial, executed a court-ordered search of two shipping containers inside the Ensenada customs zone. Inside, they found four high-end vehicles, all carrying active theft reports.
According to El Imparcial, the FGR launched the investigation after receiving an anonymous tip about stolen vehicles being shipped overseas. The containers were reportedly bound for Asia. The FGR obtained a judicial order to inspect the containers before the search took place.
Customs Chief Also Silent
The head of Ensenada’s maritime customs office, Vice Admiral José Luis Meugniot Camacho, also avoided answering questions. When reporters asked which shipping companies use the port to transport vehicles, and whether any of those firms were connected to the seized cars, Meugniot Camacho declined to respond.
The refusal by both federal officials to share basic case details drew pointed criticism from Zeta Tijuana, the Tijuana-based investigative weekly. Zeta noted that González Lozada has previously withheld information that qualifies as public record under Mexican transparency law.
A Recurring Problem at Mexican Ports
Baja California sees thousands of vehicle thefts each year. Many stolen cars are stripped for parts in clandestine workshops, but a significant number are loaded into containers for export through commercial ports. The Ensenada seizure is the latest in a pattern of similar discoveries at Mexican port facilities, where organized crime networks exploit commercial shipping infrastructure to move stolen vehicles overseas.
No arrests have been announced in connection with the case. The FGR has not disclosed the makes, models, or estimated value of the four recovered vehicles. Reporting by Zeta Tijuana, Proceso, and El Imparcial contributed to this article.