You know the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) tracks U.S. vehicle thefts in and provides inform about the most stolen models. But did you know it's also working behind the scenes to stop export of stolen vehicles? The NICB says it is partnering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of “Operation Terminus,” an effort to prevent stolen vehicles from being smuggled out of the country through seaports around the nation.
Over the past year, NICB says its agents, working alongside CBP officers as part of “Operation Terminus,” inspected shipping containers discovering multiple high-end vehicles worth more than $100,000 each, resulting in the seizure of multiple vehicles worth millions of dollars. These seizures occurred at Seaports from New York, Newark, Norfolk, Baltimore south to Savannah and Miami Ports of Entry. The effort is not just resulting in the recovery of stolen vehicles - but also the recovery of stolen goods like ammunition that may be concealed inside them.
The NICB, the nation's leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to identifying, investigating, preventing, and deterring insurance fraud and crime, says vehicle theft trends present complex challenges for law enforcement and insurance carriers. The NICB calls the issue of stolen vehicles being exported out of the U.S. States an "especially complex problem" with "significant implications for law enforcement, public safety, and international relations." Stopping these exports is, as you'd imagine, no easy task. The NICB says the sheer volume of goods moving in and out of the country presents a challenge for authorities to identify stolen vehicles among legitimate exports.
“NICB is proud to work with partners like U.S. Customs and Border Protection to disrupt transnational criminal networks,” said David J. Glawe, President and CEO of NICB. “These partnerships are critical to the success of identifying and significantly degrading the ability of these criminals to continue their global operations. Addressing this problem requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach involving law enforcement agencies, government authorities, international partners, and industry stakeholders. This is especially important because stolen vehicles that are exported are often repurposed for illicit activities such as smuggling drugs, weapons, or even terrorists across borders.”
The NICB says organized crime syndicates are often behind the theft and export of vehicles, utilizing sophisticated tactics to evade detection. They say these criminal networks may alter vehicle identification numbers (VINs), forge documents, or employ other methods to disguise the true origins of stolen vehicles.
The NICB says it's disrupted nearly 2,000 organized criminal networks over the past year - resulting in the recovery of more than 300,000 vehicles with a value in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Our partnership with NICB is critical in our fight against vehicle theft and in disrupting transnational criminal organizations. By working together, we are leveraging our capabilities to deter criminal activities at home and across the globe,” said Diane Sabatino, Customs and Border Protection Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
In one example shared by CBP, Operation Terminus partners seized 12 vehicles and one John Deere combine with an estimated total value of $428,306. The vehicles were bound for West Africa, with the combine, reported stolen in Michigan, destined to South America.
The vehicle recoveries are also netting other finds as well. The NICB says operations have also recovered hundreds of rounds of various caliber ammunition hidden in vehicles destined for Nigeria and other African ports.
“While many stolen vehicles are recovered, there is an increasing global demand particularly in regions where regulations are lax, and stolen goods can be easily laundered or resold on the black market,” Glawe said. “Stopping stolen vehicles from leaving the country requires effective detection and interception measures at various points of exit, including ports, border crossings, and shipping terminals.”
You can read U.S. Customs press releases about the recovery of vehicles at the Port of Baltimore, here, and the recovery of vehicles at the Port of New York/Newark, here.
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