Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

Prosecutors charge 13 in scheme that stole U.S. vehicles for Mexican cartels

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, all right-leaning.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The Washington Times, Fox News, the New York Post and Breitbart report that federal prosecutors have charged 13 people over Operation Southbound Takedown, a scheme that stole vehicles in the United States and drove them into Mexico. The outlets say authorities recovered 29 stolen vehicles worth an estimated $1.14 million. They say prosecutors allege the vehicles were used to support cartel operations, and Breitbart reports that prosecutors allege some large SUVs were converted into armored vehicles. The outlets attribute these details to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas and Homeland Security Investigations.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Federal prosecutors announced charges against 13 people over a scheme that stole cars in the U.S. and shipped them to Mexico.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Washington Times, New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, Breitbart News
  2. Authorities recovered 29 stolen vehicles worth an estimated $1.14 million, prosecutors said.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, Breitbart News
  3. Prosecutors allege the stolen vehicles were used to support cartel operations in Mexico.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Washington Times, New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, Breitbart News
  4. Prosecutors allege some stolen SUVs were converted into armored vehicles for cartels.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  5. The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the DEA, the ATF, CBP, Texas DPS and El Paso police.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report 13 charges and cartel use of stolen vehicles, while Breitbart alone adds that the vehicles were converted into armored trucks, a claim the other supplied texts do not repeat.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Headlines present a federal crackdown on cartel vehicle theft; Far Right Fox News and Breitbart stress the pipeline and charges, and Breitbart adds the armored-truck claim.

    Cars stolen in U.S. become daily drivers for Mexican cartels
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read 3 of the 4 articles in context when it wrote the analysis. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • cartel links to stolen cars
  • 13 people charged
  • federal enforcement action
  • armored vehicles for cartels
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • U.S. Feds Takedown Cartel Vehicle Theft Ring in Texas – Used to Make Armored Trucks

    Authorities in West Texas announced the arrest of 13 suspects, including two Mexican nationals who ran a vehicle theft ring that was being used to supply various terrorist drug cartels. Prosecutors allege the defendants would steal large SUVs and convert

  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Feds crack down on stolen car pipeline to Mexican cartels as 13 charged in border scheme

    Operation Southbound Takedown recovered 29 stolen cars worth $1.14 million allegedly funneled through El Paso to Mexican cartels for daily operations.

    Also published by New York Post. It counts once.

  • Cars stolen in U.S. become daily drivers for Mexican cartels

    Federal prosecutors announced charges Monday against 13 people they said were involved with cartel-backed operations that stole cars in the U.S. and shipped them south of the border, where they became part of "daily business" for the smuggling outfits.

  • New York PostRightFox News report

    Feds crack down on stolen car pipeline to Mexican cartels as 13 charged in border scheme

    New York Post published a report that is shown in full at Fox News.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 26, 1:53 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 26, 1:53 PM EDT
  2. Fox NewsFar RightOct 27, 3:27 AM EDT
  3. New York PostRightOct 27, 5:15 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 27, 2:25 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page