The Prison Investigations Division (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has recovered 43 high-value luxurious autos that have been stolen overseas and illegally introduced into Ghana between January and July 2025.
This main breakthrough comes as a part of a broader technique to accentuate the nation’s struggle in opposition to transnational automobile theft and smuggling networks.
Talking at a press briefing in Accra on August 4, 2025, Director-Common of the CID, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, credited the milestone to efficient collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Income Authority, alongside worldwide legislation enforcement our bodies resembling Interpol, Digipol, and the FBI.
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The recovered fleet options elite vehicle manufacturers, together with Rolls-Royce, Audi, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
These autos have been traced again to thefts reported in a number of international locations, together with the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Canada, the US, Germany, Italy, and France.
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Lately, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted a shipment of stolen vehicles at the Port of Virginia destined for Ghana as a part of a heightened effort to fight worldwide automobile smuggling.
The high-end autos, principally newer fashions, have been estimated to be price $150,000 within the U.S, however consultants counsel they may have commanded even increased costs in Ghana and different components of West Africa, the place demand for imported automobiles continues to surge.
In response to CBP reviews, this operation is only one in a sequence of enforcement actions focusing on transnational smuggling networks. Thus far in 2025, stolen autos price greater than $6.5 million have been seized on the Port of Virginia alone.
This revelation by Ghana’s CID that investigations into 18 out of the 43 recovered autos have been concluded comes within the wake of a current interception in Europe. Ghanaian courts have since ordered the repatriation of those autos to their respective international locations of origin.
COP Donkor confirmed that eight autos have already been returned, whereas 10 await repatriation. The remaining 25 instances are at the moment pending earlier than the courts.
We share intelligence on autos stolen overseas and imported into the nation, in addition to transnational organised felony teams concerned within the stolen motorized vehicle commerce and associated crimes like cash laundering, insurance coverage fraud, id theft, and Visa card fraud, amongst different transnational crimes
She mentioned.
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COP Donkor additionally elaborated on the techniques utilized by worldwide felony syndicates to move stolen autos throughout borders.
These embrace the usage of solid identities to hire autos, disabling monitoring gadgets, and defaulting on hire-purchase agreements after illegally buying autos.
She emphasised that importers usually fail to offer authentic documentation, elevating issues in regards to the transparency of auto possession in Ghana.
It’s unhappy to notice that in virtually all of the instances talked about above, those that clear the autos in Ghana are unable to offer proof of possession or buy of the autos from the nation of origin previous to their importation into Ghana. Let me point out right here that cost of customs duties in Ghana doesn’t imply that the automobile was legitimately acquired from the nation of origin
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She cautioned.
To strengthen enforcement efforts, the CID has arrange a devoted job drive to guide intelligence-led operations focusing on transnational automobile crime. In consequence, a further six suspected stolen autos have lately been seized.
These embrace 4 Toyota Tundras, one Toyota RAV4, and a Vary Rover, all linked to Canada.
COP Donkor additional revealed that some criminals use luxurious automobile importation as a entrance for cash laundering, romance scams, and extortion.
She warned that unsuspecting people in Ghana might find yourself buying stolen autos with out figuring out their unlawful origin.
Others additionally purchase and import the luxurious autos as a method of laundering illicit income, other than the felony acts like romance fraud and extortion. Sadly, some harmless residents fall sufferer and buy autos which have been stolen from overseas
She lamented.
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In closing, the CID boss urged Ghanaians to train warning when shopping for imported autos.
I need to take this chance to advise all residents who need to buy autos, significantly these imported from overseas, to transcend requesting for the customs paperwork and demand from the importers some proof of buy or possession of the automobile previous to its importation into the nation
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She suggested.
This profitable operation marks a major step in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on transnational organised crime and restore integrity throughout the automobile importation sector.
