Headline: Police Seize Nine Vehicles in Crackdown on ‘Twin Car’ Sales Ring in Mendoza
Subheadline: Spanish businessman with criminal history detained; investigation focuses on vehicle cloning and document fraud
In a significant blow to an organized crime ring, police in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, conducted two simultaneous raids on Thursday, seizing nearly a dozen vehicles and detaining a Spanish businessman with a known criminal history. The operation is part of an ongoing investigation into the sale of "twin cars" – cloned vehicles with fake documents – in the region.
Among the seized vehicles were a Renault Clío, Chevrolet Corsa, Toyota Etios, Renault Express, Seat Leon, Chevrolet Astra, and two Toyota Hilux models, one of which had an active arrest warrant for aggravated theft. Additionally, police recovered a motorcycle and two cell phones.
The operation led to the detention of Francisco Parejo Ruiz, a 65-year-old Spanish national who presents himself as the manager of a car rental company on his social media profiles. Parejo Ruiz was charged with accessory to a crime by prosecutor José Manuel García Mango, who is leading the investigation.
During the raids, police also found a pickup truck that had been reported stolen in mid-2022, as well as a Toyota Hilux hood with an active seizure order since March 2021. Moreover, authorities seized eight other vehicles for examination to determine if their license plates were forged and to verify the authenticity of their engine and chassis numbers.
This is not Parejo Ruiz’s first brush with the law. In 2020, he was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for his role in a federal mega-case involving an illegal association that generated fake invoices, defrauding the Argentine Tax Authority (now ARCA) of over 222 million pesos.
In a related case from November 2022, police raided a repair shop on Sarmiento Street and a garage on Route 60, also in Luján. During that operation, they arrested the shop owner, José Luis Bastías, who was charged with aggravated accessory to a crime, violating the Disassembly of Motor Vehicles Law, and adulterating vehicles.
Parejo Ruiz could potentially be released from custody, as he was charged with a bailable offense. However, authorities are examining his situation in the pending federal case from which he was previously sentenced.
The investigation has revealed that the criminal group’s modus operandi involves purchasing high-end vehicles that have been damaged or are no longer in use and cloning them using similar models stolen from the streets. By creating "twin cars" with forged documents, the group can sell these vehicles at attractive prices, attracting unsuspecting buyers who fail to perform the necessary checks.
The operation has sent shockwaves through the local automotive market, highlighting the growing problem of vehicle cloning and document fraud in the region. Authorities have vowed to continue investigating and dismantling these criminal networks to protect consumers and uphold the integrity of the market.
