Africa-Press – Gambia. A major international police operation has uncovered a widespread vehicle trafficking network in West Africa, leading to the detection of around 150 stolen vehicles and the seizure of more than 75 in 12 countries across the sub-region.
The two-week operation, code-named “Safe Wheels”, was coordinated by Interpol and involved security agencies in The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Togo.
The crackdown also led to 18 new investigations and exposed the activities of two organized crime syndicates.
Most of the stolen vehicles were trafficked from Canada, while others had been reported missing in France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Interpol’s Stolen Motor Vehicle (SMV) database played a central role in identifying stolen cars during the operation. The SMV database allows police from its 196 member countries, to instantly check whether a vehicle has been reported stolen.
Interpol’s Director of Organised and Emerging Crime, David Caunter, highlighted the global scale of car theft and its ties to organized crime.
“Each year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles are stolen around the world, yet the initial theft is often only the beginning of a vehicle’s journey into the global criminal underworld,” he said.
“Stolen vehicles are trafficked across the globe, traded for drugs and other illicit commodities, enriching organised crime groups and even terrorists.”
The operation forms part of Project Drive Out, a joint initiative between
Interpol deployed a team of nine experts from its SMV Task Force to assist security forces in The Gambia, Benin, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo during the operation.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
