This is the moment two shipping containers were cut open to uncover £230,000 worth of stolen cars – moments before they were due to be shipped half way across the world.
Hundreds of vehicles are snatched from streets and driveways across the UK every day, with many smuggled abroad whole or in parts to cities from Dubai and Moscow to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The multi-million-pound illegal trade in cars and parts has helped drive a 74 per cent increase in the number of cars stolen in England and Wales over the past decade – with the figure topping 121,000 in the year to March.
But police are fighting back, with more than £2million of stolen cars seized and 154 people arrested as part of a week-long UK-wide operation targeting theft gangs.
The Daily Mail witnessed one part of the crackdown, with two shipping containers broken into using angle grinders at the port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.
With larger cargo ships carrying as many as 22,000 containers and a £200 fee for each one opened, officials are unable to inspect every one.
Instead, they are ‘profiled’ based on several factors, including their destination and contents, as well as undisclosed intelligence.
The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) – a police unit funded by the car industry – say this process is so accurate that around 99 per cent of the containers they open are confirmed to contain stolen vehicles.
Has your car been stolen? Email rory.tingle@dailymail.co.uk
One of the stolen Lexus cars that was due to go to a nation in Africa. It was hidden at the back of this container, which was filled with a range of household goods
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The first container intercepted at Felixstowe – which had been destined for the Middle East – housed two stolen Lexus RX 450hs and a Lexus NX300 with an estimated total value of £135,000. All were 2023 models.
The second, which was going to a nation in Africa, initially appeared to contain random scrap goods before a 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser, a 2017 Lexus RX450h and a 2016 NC750 Honda motorbike worth £100,000 were found hidden in the back.
Analysis of the six vehicles found they had all been stolen from London within the previous month – most likely by gangs targeting specific models based on demand from overseas buyers.
A recent report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) found illegal vehicle exports were partly a response to a shortage of car parts across much of the Middle East and Africa.
Researchers also identified shipments to former Soviet republics, including Georgia and Azerbaijan, which could be destined for sanctions-dodging Russian elites.
Car thefts have driven an 82 per cent increase in insurance premium quotes since 2021, RUSI found.
A common tactic is for gangs to use gadgets to mimic the signals of electronic car keys to break into luxury cars.
They then fit the stolen vehicles with fake number plates and drive them to hidden sites before loading them directly into shipping containers.
In other cases, cars are taken to ‘chop shops’ to be broken down into parts, which are harder to trace than whole vehicles and often more profitable.
A cargo crew removes one of the stolen Lexus cars that was due to be shipped to the Middle East
Among the goods hidden with the cars going to Africa were barbers’ chairs, seen on the right of this photo. These items not only serve to hide the stolen cars, but can also be sold on
A stolen Lexus is carried on a forklift truck after being pulled from a shipping container
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The first car seized during the operation in Felixstowe earlier this month was a dark green Lexus SUV, with its owner’s glasses still on the front seat alongside a wooden disposable fork and a pile of used tissues.
The only sign it had been stolen was the exposed wiring on the floor where a tracker had been ripped out.
Analysis showed the SUV had been stolen in the Met Police area on September 30.
At the back of the container were a further two Lexus cars piled on top of each other, both of which had also been stolen within the last three weeks.
Adam Gibson, ports intelligence officer at NaVCIS, told the Mail that the cars were destined for black market dealers in the Middle East – although he did not disclose the specific country the container was going to.
He said gangs typically target specific cars after a significant period of surveillance.
‘They identify a car to steal, then they copy the registration number of a car of the same model and colour that they have seen on the streets.
‘They’ll then print cloned plates and attach them to the stolen car using sticky pads to stop it being flagged as stolen when they drive it away.’
Household goods, including a speaker system, stuffed inside one of the stolen cars being shipped to a country in Africa
During their own raids, West Midlands Police found an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of car parts across a number of storage units, as well as living quarters for workers on site
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Mr Gibson said any damage to the cars during the process of stealing and shipping them could be repaired in the destination country using illegally obtained parts.
The second container, which was destined for a country in Africa, was opened to reveal two battered silver Nissans – which had not been stolen.
These were accompanied by a vast range of everyday items, including dozens of scrap bikes, chairs, fridges, batteries, toilet seats and even a suitcase containing plastic trophies – all stacked carelessly on top of each other.
It was only after nearly an hour of searching that workers found a black Lexus hybrid that had been hidden at the back. It was later confirmed as stolen.
After several more minutes, they also found a silver Toyota Land Cruiser and a Honda 750X motorbike that had both been stolen from London.
Mr Gibson described the shipment as typical for containers bound for Africa, which were often accompanied by other items that could be sold on or stripped for valuable parts. He said these items also served to make the shipment appear legitimate.
The intelligence officer said it was possible to order a container shipment with little more than a mobile phone and an email account, with no photo ID required.
This means a criminal can arrange for an item to be shipped using fake contact details before disappearing if it is seized.
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Even so, he hopes the seizures at Felixstowe could lead to prosecutions further down the line.
‘We will notify the relevant local police force about the stolen cars,’ Mr Gibson said. ‘We’ll also notify the force where the loading took place.’
The searches were part of Operation Alliances – coordinated across 37 police forces in England and Wales by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, using funding from the Home Office.
Raids and searches across the UK led to arrests for a range of offences, including theft, fraud and conspiracy to steal, as well as modern slavery and immigration crime.
Met Police officers stopped one vehicle to find a luxury car bumper in the back, leading them to discover a huge warehouse of stolen car parts worth more than £300,000 alongside a significant amount of cash.
Its owners are thought to be responsible for more than £1m worth of car thefts in the London area.
During their own raids, West Midlands Police came across an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of car parts across a number of storage units, as well as living quarters for workers on site.
Nearly 100 complete stolen vehicles were recovered, along with 34 more in chop shops or yards. A total of 13 chop shops were found overall.
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One chop shop also housed a cannabis factory, while officers also found weapons, number plates and several signal jammers.
Operation Alliances used intelligence from Opal, policing’s national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime.
DCI Kate Brummell, its Head of Operations, said it was normal for gangs involved in stealing and exporting cars to be linked to other types of criminality.
‘These gangs are often involved in more sinister crimes including the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people,’ she said.
‘Often these are UK-based gangs, but you also see groups that come into the UK for a short period, commit crimes then leave again.’
Sharon Naughton, Head of NaVCIS, described some of the precautions owners could take to avoid their vehicle being stolen.
‘There is no car that is theft proof. The first thing is to make sure you’ve armed and locked your car – you’d be surprised to learn how often cars aren’t locked.
‘There are lots of physical security measures you can install, like a steering lock or a clamp on a wheel.
‘We know thieves can override those but it’s about making life as hard for them as possible.
This gang, based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, were linked to almost 100 stolen cars, which were stolen and shipped off to the Middle East, or broken down for parts. Top row, left to right: Asif Matadar, Shewaz Rehman, Imran Taj. Bottom row: Zeeshan Ali, Adam Elwood and Mohammed Irfan
‘You can also buy trackers if your vehicle is not already fitted with one, which can help find it faster.’
Mark Kameen leads the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership (NVCRP), which secured the funding for Operation Alliances.
‘The results clearly demonstrate what can be achieved when the right support and investment come together behind a common goal,’ he said. One gang operating in Oldham, Greater Manchester were jailed last year after being linked to nearly 100 stolen cars.
The group arranged for prestige cars including Range Rovers, Mercedes, Porsche and BMWs to be stolen to order before being shipped off to the Middle East or broken down for parts.
Ringleader Asif Hussain was jailed for 15 years after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to handle stolen goods, conspiracy to export, and fraud.
AA president Edmund King said: ‘Protecting vehicles from thieves and targeting the criminals involved is important, not just for the car owners, but for everyone.
‘The more we do to tackle vehicle crime, the more insurance premiums should fall.’
