American car thefts surge as teenage bandits, international crime rings ship stolen vehicles overseas

Carjackers targeting luxury vehicles passim the United States are sending stolen cars to an improbable destination successful an effort to maximize profits portion minimizing the chances of getting caught. 

The nation’s superior has served arsenic an improbable vas for stolen luxury vehicles successful caller years, with Washington seeing the highest conveyance theft complaint passim the state successful 2023, according to information from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

In 2023, carjacking rates wrong Washington were truthful high, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) devised an undercover cognition to instrumentality down an 18-year-old repetition offender who was allegedly moving with different teenagers.

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A steering instrumentality fastener of a car successful Washington connected June 6, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Federal prosecutors allege Cedae Hardy orchestrated six abstracted carjackings alongside respective co-conspirators passim Maryland and Washington, with 1 effort ending with a unfortunate being changeable aggregate times. 

Hardy allegedly unknowingly communicated with undercover MPD officers via substance connection to signifier handovers successful a downtown parking garage. In 1 instance, authorities intercepted messages betwixt Hardy and his alleged co-conspirator showing the brace plotting to bargain a Mercedes-Benz SL550. Just 22 minutes aft the equipped carjacking, Hardy arrived astatine the Florida Avenue Garage successful downtown Washington. The conveyance was sold 2 days aboriginal to an undercover serviceman for $1,200, according to the Department of Justice. 

Hardy is facing aggregate felony charges and has besides been tied to an further conspiracy ringing liable for dozens of alleged carjackings, with 1 incidental resulting successful a unfortunate being changeable to death. 

An lawyer representing Hardy declined Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

Hardy, on with respective different teenage defendants, allegedly conspired to perpetrate 33 carjackings betwixt December 2022 and June 2023, according to the DOJ. 

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A Metropolitan Police Department car drives done Washington connected Aug. 30, 2023. (Al Drago for Washington Post via Getty Images)

Prosecutors allege Hardy, on with Keyonte Rice, 19, Landrell Jordan III, 19, and Malik Norman, 20, conspired to carjack victims and merchantability the stolen vehicles oregon usage them for aboriginal crimes.

In 1 instance, Hardy and Rice allegedly changeable a 39-year-old antheral to decease successful a failed carjacking effort successful a Maryland flat analyzable parking lot. According to prosecutors, the brace were driving a conveyance from a abstracted equipped carjacking and allegedly acceptable the victim’s car connected occurrence hours aft the murder.

"[My client] has pleaded not guilty," lawyer Robert Jenkins, who is representing Norman, told Fox News Digital. "I don't judge that the authorities volition beryllium capable to found that Mr. Norman participated straight successful the usage of immoderate unit oregon the taking of immoderate vehicles done immoderate carjackings. I deliberation the allegation against Mr. Norman is [he] whitethorn person astatine 1 constituent successful clip go successful possession of definite vehicles that whitethorn have, astatine 1 constituent successful time, been stolen done carjacking. But Mr. Norman himself ne'er possessed immoderate firearms, ne'er confronted anyone for the intent of seizing their conveyance and did not enactment straight successful immoderate of those activities."

The attorneys for Rice and Jordan did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

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"Soft-on-crime policies successful large cities similar Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles are the process that wags the dogs erstwhile it comes to stolen high-end cars," lawyer Andrew Stoltmann told Fox News Digital. "When the thieves cognize they either won’t get caught, oregon if they bash get caught the punishment volition beryllium a de minimus slap connected the wrist, it provides a greenish airy for them to run with impunity erstwhile it comes to stealing luxury cars."

The emergence successful carjackings marks a stunning statistical reversal amid the pandemic, with reports of offenses nearly quadrupling betwixt 2020 and 2021. 

Last year, New Jersey officials announced 29 individuals were charged aft national and section officials joined forces to execute a takedown of a "major planetary carjacking and stolen car trafficking ring," according to ICE. 

The radical allegedly operated wrong the Northeast, targeting luxury vehicles – specifically high-end SUVs – by holding victims astatine gunpoint oregon bumping the vehicles connected a highway, forcing owners to exit their cars.

The CMA CGM Marco Polo makes its mode toward the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal arsenic seen from Bayonne, N.J., May 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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"The much we larn astir the blase pipeline betwixt the proviso and request for stolen luxury cars, the amended we tin choke disconnected that way and disrupt the flow," Col. Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said in a property release. "The scope of those arrested and charged shows conscionable however organized this unsafe transgression endeavor had become."

The carjackers targeted vehicles astatine car washes, valet stations and airports, looking for victims who whitethorn person got retired of their car portion leaving the motor running. The thieves would past get the physics cardinal fob for the conveyance – captious to the resale worth – and marque their escape. 

Once a conveyance was stolen, the carjackers would determination it to a determination to guarantee nary tracking devices were installed, chiefly storing cars successful parking garages, residential backyards oregon backstage retention areas. 

Throughout the sting, titled Operation Jacked, astir 140 of the 160 vehicles recovered were recovered astatine ports passim New York oregon New Jersey. 

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Cars are seen parked astatine the larboard successful Bayonne, N.J., connected Aug. 21, 2021. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File)

While immoderate cars were sold wrong the U.S., astir were shipped internationally to West Africa via shipping containers with misrepresented bills of lading. 

"Think of it arsenic transgression arbitrage," Stoltmann said. "They tin get importantly bigger nett margins overseas than they tin present successful the United States, adjacent fixed the costs of shipping these cars halfway crossed the world. Crucially, determination are virtually nary penalties whatsoever if they get caught successful possession with a United States stolen car successful Africa." 

The Port Authority of New Jersey directed Fox News Digital to ICE for further information. 

Once the vehicles marque their mode overseas to Africa, they go virtually untraceable portion entering a web of commerce wherever stolen cars are successful precocious demand. 

In effect to the influx of stolen vehicles traveling crossed borders, Interpol has ramped up efforts to combat the merchantability of cars traveling from America and Europe by expanding the efficacy of introduction checks, according to the agency. 

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A informing motion successful Washington, D.C., connected June 6, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

However, officials’ quality to way the fig of cars flowing into the state remains unknown, with stories of section gangs moving alongside instrumentality enforcement wrong Africa to transport the stolen vehicles into countries determination for profit, according to a 2022 study published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. 

Vehicles are registered with a VIN fig upon arriving successful West Africa, but conveyance laundering hubs passim the portion connection scammers the accidental to change the recognition fig oregon acquisition counterfeit registration paperwork. One known hub successful Birnin Konni successful Niger sells fake licence plates for conscionable $16, with fake conveyance titles costing arsenic small arsenic $2.50, according to the report. 

"Stolen vehicles are a concern that involves galore radical who look acold from suspicious, specified arsenic traders, store owners and mechanics, and adjacent governmental leaders, successful the consciousness that they whitethorn payment from the sales," a erstwhile Niger car thief said successful the report.

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A informing motion successful Washington, D.C., connected June 6, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Back location successful the U.S., improbable criminals are carrying retired these transnational crimes. 

In Washington, 49% of reported carjackings this twelvemonth person been committed by juveniles, with 78% of offenders having location addresses wrong the section area, according to information from MPD.

"Theft rings typically enlistee younger radical due to the fact that they cognize if they bash get caught, they volition apt beryllium sentenced arsenic a minor, which has overmuch little terrible consequences for those who get caught," Stoltmann told Fox News Digital. 

The bulk of this year's arrests by the MPD person consisted of teenagers, with the youngest offenders conscionable 12 years old. 

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A steering instrumentality fastener of a car successful Washington, D.C., successful June 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"These are organized rings, and they enlistee people, and it’s overmuch easier to enlistee younger radical erstwhile they cognize the penalties are truthful insignificant for getting caught," Stoltmann said. 

As carjacking incidents passim the state proceed to ascent – with 1,020,729 reported incidents successful 2023 – experts are discovering caller methods being utilized by thieves.

RFID cloning disks oregon the Flipper Zero Device person the quality to replicate vigor signals emitted by cardinal fobs, with criminals utilizing tracking devices to travel vehicles they are funny successful stealing, according to the NICB. 

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"Vehicle crimes person surged crossed the federation since the commencement of the pandemic, particularly successful dense municipality areas," an NICB spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Even though this past twelvemonth we’ve seen a 17% alteration successful conveyance thefts, we’re inactive not yet astatine pre-pandemic figures, and immoderate areas deed harder than others are inactive experiencing important highs successful each types of car thefts."

The NICB suggests drivers support themselves and their cars by parking successful well-lit areas, not leaving a moving conveyance unattended, and calling instrumentality enforcement arsenic soon arsenic imaginable if their conveyance is stolen.