The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has exposed a sophisticated criminal scheme used to smuggle stolen luxury vehicles into the country. The operation involved transnational syndicates using fraudulent identities and shipping tactics to traffic cars from abroad.
At a press briefing on Monday, August 4, the Director-General of the CID, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, detailed how criminals would rent vehicles from companies abroad, particularly in Canada, using fake identities. While the rental agreement was still active, they would secretly arrange to have the vehicles shipped to Ghana. Once the cars were confirmed to be exported, they would stop paying rental fees and cut off communication with the rental company.
So far, the CID has uncovered a total of 43 luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from countries including the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Canada, the USA, Germany, Italy, and France. The vehicles impounded include:
- Rolls-Royce
- Audi Q8
- Porsche
- BMW
- Mercedes-Benz
Of the 43 vehicles, 18 have been ordered by the courts to be repatriated to their countries of origin. Eight of these have already been returned, and 10 are currently undergoing the repatriation process. The remaining 25 vehicles are still subject to ongoing legal proceedings.
Additionally, a special task force has impounded another six stolen vehicles, including four Toyota Tundras, one Toyota RAV4, and one Range Rover, all of which were traced back to theft incidents in Canada.
Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend the individuals behind the illegal importation network. COP Donkor urged clearing agents, port officials, and the general public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious vehicle transactions to the police.
