Faith Nyasuguta
INTERPOL has exposed a massive transnational car theft network, tracing 150 stolen vehicles, mostly from Canada, into Nigeria and several other West African nations. This breakthrough came through “Operation Safe Wheels,” a two-week coordinated enforcement initiative launched in March 2025 across 12 West African countries.
The operation, which included participation from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, and others, targeted the illicit trade of stolen vehicles, a growing concern in the region. Utilizing INTERPOL’s powerful Stolen Motor Vehicle (SMV) database, local authorities were able to instantly verify thousands of vehicle registrations to determine if they had been flagged as stolen.
According to INTERPOL, the majority of the 150 identified vehicles originated from Canada, while others had been stolen from countries such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. So far, more than 75 vehicles have been physically seized across the region, while efforts are ongoing to track down others believed to have been trafficked through similar channels.
“Each year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles are stolen around the world,” said David Caunter, INTERPOL’s Director of Organized and Emerging Crime. “But theft is only the beginning, these vehicles are smuggled across continents, exchanged for drugs or firearms, and end up enriching organized crime groups and even terrorist networks. Our SMV database remains the strongest tool we have for tracking stolen vehicles and tracing the criminals involved in this global trade.”
In 2024 alone, INTERPOL recorded nearly 270,000 vehicles as stolen worldwide. During Operation Safe Wheels, law enforcement in 12 participating countries inspected over 12,600 vehicles at more than 46 road checkpoints set up daily. Among the makes most frequently intercepted were Toyota, Peugeot, Honda, and Lexus.
One of the most significant finds occurred in Nigeria, where Customs officers intercepted six stolen vehicles, primarily Toyota and Lexus models, hidden inside freight containers shipped from Canada. These cars were confirmed through the SMV database to have been reported stolen in 2024, triggering joint investigations between Nigerian and Canadian law enforcement agencies.
The operation was supported by INTERPOL’s SMV Task Force and funded by the Government of Canada through “Project Drive Out,” a bilateral initiative aimed at tackling global auto theft and the trade in illicit vehicle parts. Participating nations included Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo.
INTERPOL says further arrests, vehicle recoveries, and prosecutions are expected in the coming weeks as investigations continue and more countries enhance their regional cooperation and border checks.
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