A significant quantity of illicitly transported stolen automobiles, including Dodges, Jeeps, and Fords from the United States, were apprehended by customs agents in Spain during a recent enforcement drive. These vehicles, predominantly high-end, have a shared intended destination that could provide clues about recent thefts from American car manufacturers, as per Spanish authorities.
Law enforcement officials mentioned an increasing influx of stolen U.S. vehicles into Spain, prompting them to heighten scrutiny on shipping containers. The Guardia Civil disclosed that, in collaboration with Spain’s tax agency, they seized 24 smuggled high-end vehicles from the U.S. at the Algeciras port near Gibraltar in January. They have verified with U.S. authorities that these vehicles were indeed stolen domestically and are in the process of repatriating them.
Although the Guardia Civil did not disclose the complete list of seized vehicles, they did release a few images illustrating the types of vehicles targeted by thieves. One image clearly displays a Jeep Wagoneer, another exhibits a modest Dodge Challenger (either a GT or R/T), and the final one portrays a customized Ford F-150 crew cab 4×4 of unconfirmed variant. The cumulative value of these 24 vehicles is estimated at around $2.16 million, averaging $90,000 per vehicle.
All intercepted vehicles were allegedly en route to Africa, situated across the Strait of Gibraltar. Determining the exact number of pilfered cars exported from the U.S. to Africa remains challenging, yet authorities in the U.S., Europe, and Africa have successfully recovered numerous stolen vehicles destined for West Africa, as per researchers.
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