There are a staggering number of cars with foreign license plates in Africa. Most come from Canada and United States.
According to reports, 80 percent of the stolen vehicles from Canada leave Canada’s ports. The majority end up in Ghana.
Authorities also noted an increase in stolen vehicles leaving the United States bound for West Africa. In an ongoing investigation, cars have been seized at New Jersey’s and Baltimore’s major ports.
Homeland Security announced in August it had seized approximately 300 stolen vehicles this year at the Port Newark. This represents a 32% increase over last year.
The push-to start technology makes it much easier for carjackers to steal vehicles. A syndicate will change the VIN (vehicle identification number), which is a unique serial numbers, on a stolen vehicle.
International gangs could then get a fake Certificate Of Title which is used as official proof of ownership to match with the new VIN. They then sell the cars to individuals who ship them overseas.
Some gangs use these vehicles as a means to finance other crimes, like the laundering of money and purchasing of drugs.
Shipping containers are crammed with stolen cars on the way to Africa. Instagram posts from Nigerian dealers show sedans being stacked on top of each other.
ABC found that cars were packed into containers with mattresses and other items of cargo, including stolen cars.
TikTok shows a video of a white vehicle being unrolled from an enclosed storage area. This car is stamped with the phone number of Lauzon Driving school, Canada.
Luxury brands such as Mercedes Benz or Lexus are represented on the Instagram page @dpgglowauto. License plates can also be found from Michigan.
Dean Panzarino from Customs and Border Protection showed Eyewitness News that thieves had packed their cars in shipping containers with mattresses, and then tied chains around the wheels of these vehicles to suspend them. Others had been disassembled and put back together again in Africa.
It is estimated that 10% of the stolen vehicles in America end up being shipped overseas. HSI examines anomalies in the trends of imports, exports and random searches.
Panzarino responded, “No. This is something I targeted cold.” When asked who the smugglers are, he said, “I don’t.” “I think these will eventually be confiscated.”
Other times, the cars are not as lucky.
Social media shows the fates of vehicles shipped to Nigeria and other places. Some still have US plates. Other vehicles are advertised as being ‘foreign’, a label that indicates they could have been stolen before and then sent overseas.
TikTok shows cars with foreign decals, license plates, and other items being pulled out of shipping container.
A white Toyota Corolla, labeled “foreign use”, is embossed with the logo of Lauzon Driving School from Canada.
It appears that the windows have been rolled up and the roof has been covered by a sheet of cardboard. There are many packages in the car.
Comment section is full of remarks like ‘Right outta Quebec’ and “Stolen Car from Canada”.
Instagram photos of the dealership show plates from California as well Texas, Minnesota and Florida. Multiple photos show the same Florida plate on multiple cars.
Instagram shows two sedans being stacked in an empty shipping box.
The videos also show the vehicles being removed from containers by using wooden ramps that are crudely made.
The vehicles are usually older models from luxury brands such as Lexus, Land Rover and the occasional family SUV.
Jiji is an online African marketplace where cars of all kinds are listed as ‘foreign’ used, including luxury brands.
Brabus is a German company that specializes exclusively in Mercedes Benz aftermarket parts.
The Brabus 2014 was one of those ‘foreign’ used cars. It sold for 67.5million Nigerian Naira or about $86,000 US.
CBC conducted an investigation that identified dozens vehicles stolen in Ontario and Quebec, which ended up on the streets of Ghana. Many of the vehicles had registration and insurance papers still inside their glovebox.
The journalists called Len Green after finding his number on a document.
A reporter told the story: “I’m fairly sure that I am sitting in your stolen vehicle, in West Africa.
Green responded, ‘No Way’. He recalled the shock of his wife when she found out that her car had disappeared from their driveway.
The moment the car approached his home around 3am was captured on ring footage. Two men exited the Acura. It was gone in just four minutes.
Det.-Sgt. Mark Haywood from Peel Regional Police informed the newspaper that there were a lot of cars being stolen and leaving Canada.
He added, ‘You will see that about 80 percent are going through the ports.
CTV News journalists found Ahmad Abdallah’s car in Lagos Nigeria and contacted him.
Abdallah, a Toyota Highlander owner from 2017, was horrified to see a video online of the vehicle for sale.
He added, “There needs to be more investigation…we’re dealing with millions of dollar.” “This must be taken serious.”
In the United States, vehicle theft is a persistent problem.
In May the US Embassy tweeted it had confiscated over 100 vehicles stolen from US and Canada.
Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly works alongside FBI and US Department of State International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.
It has also been attempted to keep cars in the United States.
US Customs and Border Protection started ‘Operation Terminus,’ on February 13, to detect and retrieve stolen vehicles from the Port of New York and New Jersey.
On the 17th of February, after a five-day effort to seize 23 cars that were packed in shipping containers on route to West Africa and seized by the agency.
They were headed to Togo as well as Ghana, Burkina Faso Monrovia Liberia. The estimated total value was $1.33 million.
There were three BMWs, two Land Rovers and a most expensive BMW X 5M 2022 priced at $102,995.
Equite Association (a nonprofit organization that investigates fraudulent insurance claims on behalf member insurance companies) released a report detailing the top 10 most common stolen vehicles in Canada.
Terri O’Brien, CEO and President of U.S. Auto Insurance Company said that the vehicle theft crisis has now reached a critical level in our country.
“We are certain that criminals from Canada and abroad steal vehicles.”
She claimed that Canada had been portrayed as an illegal trading country.
Report 2022 revealed double-digit increases of vehicle thefts in the provinces that had data.
Ontario saw a 48.3 per cent increase in thefts over the past year, while Quebec experienced a 50 per cent rise.
Bryan Gast is the VP for Investigative Services at the organisation.
Equite Association is urging the federal government to update the Federal Motor Safety Regulations in Canada. The existing regulations were drafted in 2007 without taking into consideration the new push-button technology.
In a news release, dated 2023 August, Transport Canada was urged to do something.
Gast noted that criminals now take advantage of outdated standards. These criminals are easily able to take advantage of these weaknesses, leading to an increase in the number of stolen cars across Canada.
Equite Association has recommended that all new vehicles be equipped with anti-theft systems. To stay current with technology, these devices need to be no older than 3 years.
In April, EOCO Ghana issued a report on 95 stolen vehicles which had arrived from the US. It also identified dealerships that the cars were found.
The Office obtained an order freezing all vehicles and required individuals and dealers to submit all documentation by May 31, otherwise law enforcement would seize the cars.
Abdulai Bashiru Dapilah is the deputy director of EOCO. According to CBC, his investigators face threats from armed group and beg Canada not to allow vehicles into Africa.
But he also added, “No Canadian agency approached us or directly made a complaint.”
On September 1, authorities seized a combine and 18 vehicles at the Port of Baltimore.
These vehicles were seized for a total estimated value of 428,306.
Adam Rottman is the area port director at the Port of Baltimore. He told 11 News: ‘Our shipping routes play a big role in why our Port of Baltimore region is so popular for auto theft.
West Africa is one of the most popular destinations for stolen cars, and there are many routes available to West Africa.
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