Eight NYC men charged in scheme to send stolen luxury cars to West Africa
Eight men from New York City have been charged in a multi-million dollar scheme to ship stolen luxury cars to West Africa, the Bronx District Attorney's Office announced.
Officials said Tuesday's announcement of the latest charges in the multi-state auto theft ring followed a nine-month investigation called "Operation High Rollers."
In total, 72 cars worth $6.6 million, including a $475,000 Rolls Royce, were recovered in the operation, officials said.
Bronx parking garage used as "showroom" for stolen luxury cars
Investigators said the cars were stolen in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, then driven to a parking garage in the Longwood section of the Bronx, which was used as a "showroom" for buyers who paid in cash.
Five of the men indicted in New York City were already charged in New Jersey, where many of the luxury cars were found in shipping containers bound for Gambia and Ghana, prosecutors said.
Eleven people, including a juvenile, were charged last week in the Garden State in connection with the car theft ring.
Officials previously said the owner of the parking garage on Jennings Street did not know about the stolen cars.
"A new layer of danger to car theft"
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said suspects first broke into homes to steal key fobs, adding "a new layer of danger to car theft."
"Auto theft is certainly not unique to New Jersey. But easy access to neighboring states, to ports and international waters make us particularly susceptible to organized theft rings," he said.
"These are not low-level crimes; they are part of a multimillion-dollar black market that fuels violence and instability," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
"My office worked with the NYPD and NJ Attorney General Platkin's office to identify and dismantle this group, and I thank them. We will not tolerate auto crime in the Bronx," DA Darcel Clark said.
Two of the eight suspects indicted Tuesday were not in custody, Clark's office said.
