U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reporting a strong increase in the recovery of stolen vehicles being smuggled out of U.S. ports often hidden in containers. Just over 1,300 stolen cars were recovered, a 6.5 percent increase, nationwide before they could be smuggled out of the country.
The agency highlights that its officers are discovering stolen vehicles packed in shipping containers being exported from the United States. The agency says it has increased its rigorous import and export inspections with officers examining the export documentation and comparing a vehicle’s identification numbers against stolen vehicle reports.
The Baltimore Field Office which covers the Mid-Atlantic region recovered 343 stolen vehicles last fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023). The office ranked second in the nation for vehicle recoveries. The estimated value of the vehicles is $17.7 million.
The single most valuable vehicle retrieved was a Lamborghini Urus, valued at over $250,000. It was bound from Norfolk, Virginia to Togo in West Africa. At least three Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG sedans were also retrieved before they could depart Baltimore for Togo or in one case Benin. Each of the cars was valued at over $225,000 while an Aston Martin DBX valued at $175,000 was stopped before it could depart Norfolk also for Togo.
The Baltimore office reports that 90 percent of the stolen vehicles it was able to recover, a total of 310, were destined for West Africa.
“The international trade in stolen vehicles is just one of many revenue streams for transnational criminal organizations, so Customs and Border Protection officers will continue to strike back by recovering these vehicles and reuniting them with their lawful owners,” said Matthew Davies, Acting Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office. “Auto theft remains a rising concern in the United States. CBP remains committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold these exporters accountable.”
The strongest increase was in the port area of Norfolk and Newport News in Virginia where CBP recovered 18 stolen vehicles an increase of 158 percent versus the prior year. The cars were valued at over $10 million. Norfolk ranked second national among the ports of entry.
There was a slight decrease in the number of stolen vehicles stopped at the Port of Baltimore last year. While the port ranked third nationally, CBP said eight fewer cars were discovered. They stopped a total of 141 stolen vehicles valued at over $7.3 million.
The criminals are also attempting to export the vehicles through smaller ports. The ports of Philadelphia and the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, collectively recovered 22 stolen vehicles.
The stolen cars run the gamut from subcompacts to full-sized sports utility vehicles. CBP reports that 73 percent of those stopped were SUVs. Land Rover’s Range Rover took the top spot again last year followed by the Toyota Highlander. They also stopped BMWs, Toyotas, and Infinity models.
CBP reports they even recovered a 1991 Toyota pickup valued at just $2,150 being exported from Wilmington to Honduras. They only recovered one electric vehicle (Hyundai IONIQ5) but also recovered four stolen motorcycles and even a 2014 John Deere Combine that thieves were trying to send from Baltimore to Argentina.
Two individuals were sentenced in June in the District Court in Maryland. Both had been arrested for shipping stolen vehicles to West Africa.
The seizures are part of the wider efforts by CBP officers which are also searching for narcotics, firearms, counterfeit consumer goods, and other contraband that violate U.S. export laws.
