Haul of 30 luxury cars stolen from the UK found in Thailand
Eight year investigation concludes, with no British charges despite arrests
A haul of 30 luxury sports and performance cars, stolen in 2016 and then smuggled to Thailand, has been returned following a lengthy police investigation.
With a combined value of more than £6 million, the cars were bought on finance by thieves from companies in the UK, then exported via Heathrow Airport as new cars to Singapore, before being shipped by sea to Thailand – a right-hand-drive market like the UK – and sold on by legitimate dealers.
Investigators from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) kicked off an investigation codenamed Titanium in 2017 as a result of the thefts, and in a joint effort with Thai police, nine locations in Bangkok were raided. Police recovered 30 vehicles including eight Mercedes-Benz, five Porsche, five BMW, three Nissan GT-R, a Ford Mustang and a Lamborghini Huracan, but five cars from the criminals theft spree have yet to be recovered.
There were four arrests in London in 2017 following an investigation that involved the Metropolitan Police, National Crime Agency, and the Bangkok Department of Special Investigations, but no-one has been charged here in the UK in relation to the crimes. However, it’s a different story in Thailand, where 13 individuals have been charged.
NAVCIS officers said the cars had been acquired from dealerships in the UK, and a supercar rental company, and that the link to Thailand was discovered after a container inspection in Southampton uncovered four Mercedes cars, sparking a wider investigation.
“NaVCIS bridges the gap between policing and industry,” said Sharon Naughton, head of the organisation. “Through our well established relationships with industry partners and law enforcement colleagues, NaVCIS were able to bring about a positive conclusion to this investigation.
“We are delighted that after eight years of hard work and persistence, we are able to return these vehicles to their rightful owners. This investigation shows that NaVCIS will not rest until every avenue of investigation has been exhausted. There is no time limit on our efforts to disrupt criminality and return proceeds obtained through illegal means.”
Those words may ring hollow for many more recent victims of car crime who feel local police forces are doing little other than issuing crime numbers for victims to pass on to their insurers. We reported in September that many drivers feel car theft has been effectively decriminalised.
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