It’s a rare win in the fight against crime…
Far too often, cars stolen along the Eastern Seaboard are loaded onto ships and mere days after they go missing are headed to Africa or the Middle East. However, one shipment of vehicles was stopped at US Customs and Border Protection agents descended on the Port of New York and Newark recently. Thanks to that action, 23 stolen cars were recovered.
Learn how a man stole back his Rolls-Royce here.
Called “Operation Terminus” this trap was sprung after the cars were loaded into shipping containers but before those containers were put on a ship. When agents opened the shipping containers, they found mattresses were stacked up to hide the vehicles. Obscuring the view of stolen cars is a common practice of theft rings. That means authorities either have to gather information about shipments or use advanced X-rays to detect the hidden vehicles.
Yes, this is a drop in the bucket compared to how many vehicles are boosted every month in the area. That said, a win is still a win and it’s good to highlight them for how rare they are these days.
The total value of the cars seized was $1.3 million, so not a bad haul. Among the 23 stolen vehicles were high-ticket items like a Mercedes-AMG G55, Range Rover HSE Sport, Lexus RX350, BMW X7, and Audi Q8-S. While thieves love stealing luxury cars because they’re so coveted and valuable, this shipment also included some Hondas and Hyundais. That means no matter what you drive, you could fall victim to theft.
According to investigators, the ship these stolen cars were going to be loaded onto was bound for West Africa, making stops in countries like Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Monrovia and Liberia. Proving that car thieves don’t just stick to swiping vehicles, one of the cars headed for Nigeria was carrying 109 rounds of ammunition.
Source and images: Bronx News 12
