The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has directed all vehicle dealers and individuals in possession of 95 luxury vehicles, suspected to have been stolen and smuggled into Ghana, which had been frozen through a court order, to hand them over to the office before May 31, 2023, or face the wrath of the law.
Persons in possession of the said vehicles have also been directed to report along with all necessary documents to EOCO.
After May 31, 2023, EOCO said it would take steps to confiscate the vehicles in accordance with the law if the persons in possession of the vehicles failed to respond to the directive.
EOCO in a statement said the vehicles were frozen by the Executive Director of EOCO, Commissioner of Police Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah and confirmed by the High Court pursuant to section 33 of the EOCO Act, 2010 (Act 804).
Already, EOCO has identified the vehicles and the addresses of those in possession of the vehicles.
Background
In December 2022 EOCO in a joint operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America (USA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), in Canada carried out an intelligence-led operation for the retrieval of various specifications of luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America and Canada.
The exercise followed reports on the activity of some suspected criminals.
During the exercise officers of the participating agencies visited six garages in Dzorwulu, Dimples, North Kaneshie, East Legon, Accra Central near the Movenpick Hotel, Dzorwulu roundabout near the Fiesta Royale Hotel and near the Trinity Theological Seminary.
At the end of the joint action, 37 vehicles were retrieved from some garages in Accra and 10 persons were arrested during the exercise.
According to EOCO, the vehicles were part of about 400 vehicles believed to have been stolen from Canada and the United States of America (USA).
The luxury vehicles retrieved included BMW X7 and X5, Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes Benz S-class, Mercedes Benz GLE, Mercedes Benz G, Audi SS, Range Rover LNDR, Jonder Odyssey, Benz 5350, Honda Accord, Lexus RX, Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot and Acura RDX.
In February EOCO secured a court order authorising the seizure of vehicles suspected of being stolen and smuggled into Ghana.
The court order was also to restrain anyone from disposing of the vehicles.
Before the court order, the office had seized 41 vehicles from various vehicle sales points.
A few days ago, a documentary by Nat Geo shed more light on how stolen vehicles are shipped from the US to Ghana and how the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is altered to help prevent security operatives from detecting the vehicles that are stolen.
The investigation by Mariana van Zeller for the National Geographic Channel exposes the syndicate shipping some of the stolen vehicles to Ghana.
Sometimes, the VIN of a salvage vehicle bought at an auction is swapped with that of a clean vehicle stolen from the streets and this does not raise any red flags when leaving the system in the US.
The documentary highlights the activities of car thieves in the US, and how they collaborate with people in Ghana to get the stolen vehicles into the country.
It also talks about how people affiliated with the syndicate have amassed wealth as a result of engaging in the business.
The investigative journalist speaks to sources and people involved in the US and follows it up with a trip to Accra, Ghana to speak to some of the people associated with the business and able to show a sample of a stolen vehicle – Mercedez Benz C250 – in the streets of Accra that is in a garage and being offered for sale.
The investigation by Mariana van Zeller for the National Geographic Channel exposes the syndicate shipping some of the stolen vehicles to Ghana.
The documentary establishes that a particular Mercedez Benz had a VIN swapped with a salvaged Mercedez.
Some of the gang members who spoke to van Zeller explained to her how they undertake their activities and the structure of the international crime syndicate where cars stolen on the streets of America end up outside of the US and in places such as Ghana.
Van Zeller travelled to Ghana to meet some of the local players including a hacker/black market trader and another person who handles the business aspect of the enterprise.
The two gave the journalist insights into the local trading of stolen cars and how they are able to get the cars into the Ghanaian system without raising any red flags.
Mandate of EOCO
EOCO is a specialized agency established through the EOCO Act 2010 (Act 804) to monitor and investigate economic and organised crime and on the authority of the Attorney General to prosecute offenders to recover the proceeds of crime.
As part of the functions of the Office, it co-operates with relevant foreign or international agencies in furtherance of its objectives.
Attached below is the list of the wanted vehicles with their modules and VIN:
