News / Crime gang used containers to smuggle stolen cars to West Africa

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French police have arrested 13 members of a criminal network specialised in stealing luxury vehicles and trafficking them through European ports to West Africa in shipping containers.

The network recruited children to drive the valuable stolen vehicles to various European ports. From there, the cars were concealed in containers and shipped to West Africa.

In total, law enforcement identified more than 170 vehicles transported from Belgian, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish ports through this network.

European countries, Interpol and Europol, the EU agency for law enforcement co-operation, supported the investigation, which was launched back in summer 2021.

“This collaborative law enforcement effort led to the identification of a large, mobile and flexible criminal structure, which consisted mainly of French, Gambian and Senegalese nationals,” Europol said.

In order to obtain recent car models, several “coordinators” relied on groups of car thieves located across France. The criminal network also recruited minors to drive the valuable stolen vehicles to various European ports.

“This major coordinated and complex law enforcement operation was carried out in several locations across France. More than 110 French police officers, including tactical and canine units, arrested 13 members of the criminal network.”

The deployed officers searched various houses and seized tools and material used for car theft including illicit on-board diagnostic (OBD) port software, vehicle documents and cash.

Real-time analysis of several seized mobile phones led to the identification of two containers carrying nine stolen cars, which were immediately intercepted at the ports of Le Havre, in France, and Las Palmas, in Spain, Europol added.