The Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, has revealed that through collaboration with the Customs Division, Interpol, and the FBI, the CID in Ghana has successfully recovered 43 stolen vehicles linked to international crime rings.
She disclosed this at a press briefing on Monday, August 4, 2025.
According to her, this was part of their efforts to crack down on vehicles stolen abroad and shipped to Ghana, as well as on internet fraud, money laundering, identity theft, insurance fraud, and other related crimes.
“The CID administration has stepped up efforts to fight vehicle crime by working in close collaboration with other national agencies, including the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and international partners like Interpol, DigiPol, and the FBI to share intelligence on vehicles stolen abroad and imported into the country, as well as on transnational organized criminal groups involved in the stolen auto vehicle trade and related crimes like money laundering, insurance fraud, identity theft, Visa card fraud, among other transactional crimes. This effective collaboration has resulted in the recovery of 43 vehicles stolen from abroad and brought into the country between January and July 2025.”
She added that these 43 vehicles are mainly high-valued, luxurious vehicles such as Rolls-Royce, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, stolen from countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Canada, the USA, Germany, Italy, and France.
She said that out of the 43 impounded vehicles, investigations have been completed, and courts have ordered that 18 of them should be repatriated back to their countries of origin. Eight have already been repatriated, with 10 more pending.
Cases for the remaining 25, she indicated, are still pending in court. For every vehicle impounded, thorough investigations are conducted, and the importers are given the opportunity to provide proof of ownership of the vehicles from the countries of origin. However, “it is sad to note that in almost all the cases above, those who cleared the vehicles are unable to provide proof of ownership or purchase from the country of origin prior to their importation into Ghana.”
She noted that the payment of duties in Ghana does not mean the vehicle was legitimately acquired from the country of origin.
Meanwhile, the CID administration has established a special task force to boost the fight against vehicle crime. They will be required to conduct intelligence-based investigations and impound imported stolen vehicles brought into the country.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
