SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was the fifth person sentenced for his role in a vehicle theft ring targeting Ford pickup trucks.
Victor Valenciana, 30, and four other men were charged in connection with the theft ring, which stole and sold more than 100 firearms from vehicles in the San Antonio area between July 2021 and January 2022, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Recommended Videos
The ring targeted and burglarized the trucks in the parking lots of retail locations, malls and restaurants.
To evade law enforcement, the individuals would rent vehicles and use them to travel to the burglary locations.
Additionally, they would steal license plates from similar-looking vehicles and install the stolen license plates on the rental vehicles, according to the release.
On Oct. 5, 2022, the five men, all from San Antonio, were charged in a 17-count indictment, which included one count of conspiracy to receive and possess stolen firearms and multiple counts of felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm, the release said.
Valenciana’s co-conspirators were Alejandro Arias, 26; Richard Hernandez, aka Panek, 26; Andrew Blue Riojas, 26; and Aureliano Villareal, aka AJ, 28.
The four men were sentenced last year. In total, Valenciana and the others received a combined 53 years in federal prison.
Valenciana was arrested on Nov. 17, 2022. He pleaded guilty on Aug. 14, 2024, to the conspiracy charge and one count of felony possession of a firearm.
“We sincerely thank our federal partners for their vital support in cracking down on vehicle burglars targeting firearms,” said SAPD Chief William McManus. “Their collaboration is making our community safer.”
Related coverage on KSAT: