CHESAPEAKE, Va. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers are working daily in Hampton Roads to stop the international trade of stolen vehicles.
After a car is stolen in the U.S., it can sometimes end up in large shipping containers bound for markets overseas.
Watch previous coverage: Customs and Border Protection finds stolen cars hidden in containers in Hampton Roads
CBP agents showed WTKR News 3 how they are working to stop the lucrative international trade of these vehicles.
"This is a very lucrative business for criminal enterprises, and we're doing our best to put a stop to it," said James Askew, Chief Customs and Border Protection Officer.
Many of the stolen cars, including high-end models like BMWs and Range Rovers, are destined for West Africa or the Middle East.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, about 850,000 cars were stolen in the U.S. in 2024. The FBI reports this is roughly about one car every 40 seconds.
Askew explained that there are a few main ways vehicles are stolen: "One is straight up theft from your driveway, your parking lot. The second way would be identity theft, where someone's using a fake identity to purchase a vehicle. And another way is someone renting a car with fraudulent ID." He said the criminals will hope to have the vehicle exported before the rental company reports it stolen.
The Area Port of Norfolk ranked second for recovered stolen vehicles, after New York, according to CBP.
They said in the Baltimore Field Office, which covers the region from Trenton, New Jersey down to the North Carolina border, officers intercepted 250 stolen vehicles trying to be exported in 2024, which is a 27% decrease from the previous year.
"That is due to our officers' expertise in hunting down these stolen vehicles," Askew said. "Also, the penalties have increased if you're caught in this crime."
They said collectively during 2024, the recovered stolen vehicle exports were valued at $9.6 million.
They said the transnational criminal organizations continue to be a rising concern, though they are "extremely difficult" to investigate due to the large, organized nature of the operations. He said their use of fraudulent documents and fake IDs also make it difficult to investigate.
Askew, who has worked for CBP for two decades, said he has always enjoyed protecting people. To prevent becoming a victim, he advises the public to take preventative measures, such as locking cars, removing valuables, and keeping key fobs away from doors and windows.
The top five highest valued stolen vehicle exports that CBP recovered were:
- 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan valued at $467,700 (Norfolk to Turkey)
- 2023 Mercedes Benz Maybach valued at $160,075 (Norfolk to Ghana)
- 2023 Land Rover Range Rover P530 valued at $149,475 (Norfolk to Nigeria)
- 2024 Land Rover Range Rover P530 valued at $138,855 (Baltimore to Togo)
- 2024 Ram 1500 TRX valued at $133,169 (Norfolk to United Arab Emirates)
This article was researched, reported, and written by a WTKR News 3 journalist. AI was used to minimize typos and ensure style continuity.
