Interpol has already described Ghana as a lucrative hub for vehicles stolen mainly from Canada and the United States. EOCO says its investigations confirm that these four brands account for the majority of cases intercepted in recent months.

Speaking on Upfront with Blessed Sogah, the Head of EOCO’s Legal Unit, Leo Anthony Siamah, explained that buyers should be extra cautious when dealing in these models.

“There are certain types of vehicles that are suspicious. For instance, the Honda CR-V series, the Ford F-150, the Range Rover, and I think the Dodge Ram. These are four brands that are very high in terms of the number of stolen vehicles that we recover. Most of them happen to be these vehicles. So, obviously, if you are going to purchase one of those vehicles, that should be a red flag for you,” he said.

Mr Siamah also urged prospective car buyers to be mindful of vehicles that appear “too new and accident-free” on the Ghanaian market, especially 2023 and 2024 models. He noted that while the market traditionally dealt in salvaged or accident vehicles, the sudden availability of spotless newer models should prompt further checks.

“If you look at one of those vehicles that was recently released, maybe a 2023 model, 2024 model, which is accident-free, it should be a red flag for you. That should point you to doing extra for instance, go to Interpol to find out whether or not that car’s status is stolen,” he advised.

He noted that while Honda CR-Vs, Range Rovers, and others top the list, EOCO’s operations extend to other brands as well.

“Would you go after a Toyota Corolla, for instance? Yes. We’ve gone after a couple of Toyota Highlanders and Honda Accords. So, it’s not like we have a preference,” he clarified.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

The vehicles, a 2016 Lexus RX 350 and a 2018 Toyota Tacoma, were identified as stolen from Canada in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

This discovery was made when the team entered the Republic of the Congo.

The flagged vehicles have been handed over to authorities in the Republic of the Congo, with law enforcement agencies in Canada and Ghana also notified.

The team’s remaining vehicle, a Ford F150 Raptor, has been shipped back to Ghana.

Wanderlust Ghana stated that the flagged vehicles were purchased in Accra after conducting due diligence, including Carfax verifications, which showed clean results at the time of purchase.

The organization has pledged full cooperation with ongoing investigations and plans to pursue legal action against the sellers of the vehicles.

It also highlighted the broader issue of stolen vehicles from North America entering Ghana’s market and announced plans to collaborate with U.S. and Canadian diplomatic missions to raise public awareness and address the influx of stolen vehicles.

Despite the setback, Wanderlust Ghana celebrated the achievements of the expedition, which covered 28,811 kilometers across 28 countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, promoting Ghana’s tourism potential.

The club is acquiring new vehicles to complete the journey and plans to undertake more expeditions in the future.

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A documentary by Nat Geo has thrown more light on how stolen vehicles are shipped from the US to Ghana and how the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is altered to help prevent security operatives from detecting the vehicles are stolen.

The investigation by Mariana van Zeller for the National Geographic Channel exposes the syndicate of shipping some of the stolen vehicles to Ghana.

Sometimes, the VIN of a salvage vehicle bought at an auction is swapped with that of a clean vehicle stolen from the streets and this does not raise any red flags when leaving the system in the US.

The documentary highlights the activities of car thieves in the US, and how they collaborate with people in Ghana to get the stolen vehicles into the country.

It also talks about how people affiliated with the syndicate have amassed wealth as a result of engaging in the business.

The investigative journalist speaks to sources and people involved in the US and follows it up with a trip to Accra, Ghana to speak to some of the people associated with the business and able to show a sample of a stolen vehicle – Mercedez Benz C250 – in the streets of Accra that is in a garage and being offered for sale.

The documentary establishes that particular Mercedez Benz had a VIN swapped with a salvaged Mercedez.

Some of the gang members who spoke to van Zeller explained to her how they undertake their activities and the structure of the international crime syndicate where cars stolen on the streets of America end up outside of the US and in places such as Ghana.

Van Zeller travelled to Ghana to meet some of the local players including a hacker/black market trader and another person who handles the business aspect of the enterprise.

The two gave the journalist insights into the local trading of stolen cars and how they are able to get the cars into the Ghanaian system without raising any red flag.

With import duties costing as much as 20 percent of the value of a car in Ghana, the hacker told van Zeller that he is able to hack into the system of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to help the syndicate get away with paying the required import duties.

“It is my duty to attack the Tema Harbour. We make it seem as if you’ve paid everything,” the hacker stated.

Being the people at the end of the trail, the Ghanaian syndicate are deemed as being at the summit of the international car smuggling syndicate.

Calling himself Ivan, a man who leads the importation and selling of stolen cars in Ghana opened up more about the operations of the gang to the journalist.

“It is possible that most of these cars are stolen. Most of the boys come here to hang out. There are top guys that are in the business now; the stolen cars business. This is how some family generations have made money,” Ivan told the journalist while they drove through some areas in Accra where nightlife is buzzing.

In all, the investigation uncovered the Ghanaian players as those sitting on top of the international car theft ring. They make the most money from a criminal enterprise that sees cars belonging to people in America, stolen and shipped outside.

Car thieves in US

In the US, the operation runs in a chain at different levels from the car thieves, separate from those who clean up the stolen vehicles and eventually those responsible for selling them and then shipping them outside.

The car thieves hack into cars using for example, a universal key fob created by them with their mechanic collaborators, disable the GPS and drive away with their booty.

They clean the vehicle up by changing the VIN with their collaborators and once the vehicle is in a container and eventually leave the shores of the US, their job is done.

Insurance companies end up paying for the stolen vehicles for the real owners.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Ghana in February 2023 secured a court order to seize vehicles suspected to have been stolen and smuggled into Ghana.

The freezing order from the court, according to EOCO, would enable it to seize 95 more vehicles in addition to 41 others seized earlier in collaboration with the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in December 2022.

According to EOCO, information available to it indicated that about 400 luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the USA and Canada were in the country.

The said vehicles were alleged to have been obtained through fraud and other crimes and shipped into the country, with some being displayed for sale in a number of garages in Accra.

In December 2022 EOCO retrieved 37 luxury vehicles from some members of the vehicle and asset traders association and explained they were stolen vehicles.

According to EOCO, the vehicles were part of about 200 believed to have been stolen from Canada and the United States of America (USA).

They were retrieved through a joint operation with other security agencies following reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), in Canada on the activity of some suspected criminals.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has obtained a court order authorising the seizure of vehicles suspected of being stolen and smuggled into the country.

EOCO in a statement noted that the freezing order from the court would enable them to seize 95 more vehicles.

This, according to them, will add up to 41 others seized earlier in collaboration with the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in December 2022.

EOCO added that the court order obtained would also restrain anyone from disposing of the vehicles.

According to the statement, information available to EOCO indicates that about 400 luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the USA and Canada were in the country.

The said vehicles were alleged to have been obtained through fraud and other crimes and shipped into the country, with some being displayed for sale in a number of garages in Accra.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Head of EOCO, Nana Antwi says the culprits will face the law.

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According to him, although the vehicles cannot be seen in the garages, EOCO is convinced that the vehicles are in the country, adding that “they would be taken one after the other.”

“We are in the process of asking for special documents or orders to do a publication of those suspected vehicles, we have their chassis numbers and ask those in possession to voluntarily submit, failing which we will draw a plan to get all of them,” he said.