15 most interesting stolen cars headed overseas U.S. Customs just caught
The shipping lanes running through Norfolk, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Wilmington handle thousands of containers each week. Most carry ordinary freight. Some, though, conceal stolen vehicles tucked between furniture or boxed-up appliances. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Baltimore Field Office spent 2024 cracking open containers and matching VINs against law enforcement databases.
Alone, they recovered 250 stolen cars last year worth $9.6 million. That was fewer than 2023, when they stopped 343 vehicles valued at $17.7 million, but the dollar figures show the kind of metal these crews chase.
Nationally, CBP intercepted 1,445 stolen cars in 2024, a 9% increase over 2023’s 1,316
Here’s a list of interesting cars Baltimore and Norfolk CBP field officers recently seized. The models and values come from its 2023 and 2024 stolen car reports, ranked from lowest to highest value.
1991 Toyota Pickup marked at a shy $2,150
Recovered in 2023, but worth noting as the oldest vehicle in recent records. It was being shipped from Wilmington to Honduras. A basic, durable truck with humble underpinnings, far removed from the modern luxury SUVs that dominate seizure reports.
In my opinion, $2,150 is low here. Bring a Trailer lists 1991 models for anywhere from $7,500 to close to $30k. In any case, surely there’s plenty of old Toyota trucks in South America these days, no? I’m certainly curious about the draw of this specific model.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV worth $22,500
Recovered in 2023 from Baltimore on its way to the Congo.
This was the only electric vehicle on the books, highlighting that battery-powered cars still aren’t major targets for overseas markets.
2019 Can-Am Maverick X3 (value not published)
A four-wheel utility vehicle swept up in 2024. These lightweight off-road machines sell new for $20,000 to $35,000, depending on trim.
2020 Suzuki DR-Z400SM (value not published)
A lightweight supermoto bike also recovered in 2024. Retail prices typically sit around $7,900 new, but CBP didn’t attach a figure.
2014 John Deere S680 Combine priced at $147,590
Recovered in 2023 from Baltimore and bound for Argentina. A reminder that not everything tucked in a container is a car. Farm equipment fetches high export value, too. How do you even try to hide this thing? Well, obviously, they didn’t do it well enough.
The model pictured is an S670, by the way. Don’t come at me with a feedback email!
2024 Ram 1500 TRX valued at $133,169
Seized in Norfolk before shipment to the United Arab Emirates. With 702 horsepower from a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI, it’s a muscle truck designed for speed and sand dunes.
2024 Land Rover Range Rover P530 worth $138,855
Stopped in Baltimore en route to Togo. A twin-turbo V8 and updated tech made it one of the year’s most in-demand SUVs.
Another (2023) Range Rover P530 rang up at $149,475
Pulled from a Norfolk container headed to Nigeria. The same BMW-sourced 4.4-liter V8 powers this model, with a plush interior and luxury resale draw. This one might have had more upgrades than the 2024 listed before it.
2023 Mercedes-Benz Maybach flagged at $160,075
A Norfolk recovery in 2024, stopped on its way to Ghana. The Mercedes-Benz Maybach turns a standard S-Class into a rolling lounge, with extended wheelbase proportions and executive seating designed for the back rather than the front.
Beneath the near soundproof cabin sits a twin-turbocharged V8 or V12, giving the sedan the kind of effortless speed that matches its six-figure price tag.
2021 Aston Martin DBX marked $175,300
Caught in Norfolk in 2023 before it left for Togo. Aston’s first SUV, powered by a Mercedes-AMG twin-turbo V8, shows how exotic badges mix with more mainstream theft targets.
2021 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG tagged at $225,900
Several examples appeared in 2023 that I’ll go into a bit. The first mention was headed from Baltimore to Benin (a West African country known as the home of Voodoo).
While I prefer the classic versions, since the Mercedes-Benz G-Class began life as a bare-bones but rad utilitarian military rig, decades of refinement turned it into a luxury icon. For a few years now, used G-Wagens have taken steep depreciation hits, often selling for a fraction of their original sticker once the first owner moves on.
Still, the recent CBP seizures show the boxy SUV is coveted far beyond U.S. streets, making it a prime target for overseas buyers.
2022 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG also set at $225,900
A Norfolk interception in 2023, bound for Togo as well. Same 577-horsepower twin-turbo V8, same unmistakable shape.
And another 2021 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG set to $230,500
Again, recovered in Baltimore in 2023 on its way to Togo. Just a slightly higher book value than the other Gelandewagens listed above.
2022 Lamborghini Urus marked $250,377
The highest-value seizure of 2023, stopped in Norfolk and destined for Togo. A twin-turbo V8 crossover wrapped in Lamborghini styling, mixing six-figure glamour with SUV practicality.
2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan wins the top spot at $467,700
The single most valuable recovery of 2024. Stopped in Norfolk, it was headed to Turkey. Rolls-Royce’s only SUV blends a hand-built interior with a 563-horsepower V12.
Baltimore’s field office ranked second nationally for vehicle seizures in both 2023 and 2024, behind New York. Norfolk handled 126 recoveries last year valued at $6.4 million. Baltimore alone stopped 94 vehicles valued at $2.7 million, while Philadelphia and Wilmington combined for 30 vehicles worth about $541,000.
60% of cars recovered in 2024 were headed to West Africa, with Nigeria topping the list
Another chunk were bound for Iraq and the UAE.
SUVs made up nearly three-quarters of all seizures. Toyota Highlanders, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Range Rover Sports, Chevrolet Suburbans, and Dodge Durangos were the most common models.
It’s not just high-end luxury models, either. This year in Norfolk, CBP officers spotted a stolen family car, I’m thinking something like a Toyota RAV4, with a child seat strapped in the back seat.
CBP explained that they check paperwork before peeking inside a container
“If they say it’s a Ford Escape, and we can clearly see it’s a Corvette, we know something’s wrong,” Outbound Enforcement Team Chief Officer James Askew told 13News in August.
Every recovery represents a dent in the business model of transnational crime. For car owners in the U.S., it’s a reminder that the driveway trophy is also global currency.
For Customs and Border Protection, stopping stolen cars is just one thread in a web of daily responsibilities that stretch across land, sea, and air
I have to admit, before writing this up, I had very little idea of just how much intercepting and even rescuing the CBP does daily. The numbers from fiscal year 2024 illustrate the scale.
On any given day, CBP officers and agents processed 1.15 million passengers and pedestrians, along with 270,800 privately owned cars arriving at ports of entry
Add in 88,582 containers moving by truck, rail, or ship, and the flow of trade becomes clear.
Last year, officers reviewed 105,103 entries of merchandise worth $9.2 billion and collected $241 million in duties, taxes, and fees. More than $225 million of that total came from duties alone.
The volume is heavy, but enforcement work is constant
Officers carried out 3,682 enforcement encounters at ports of entry and 4,267 between ports…and again, this is daily. On top of that, they arrested 135 wanted criminals in a single day’s average. That’s 86 at official crossings, 49 elsewhere.
Their duties also included lifesaving: 16 rescues or significant medical responses were logged (daily).
Interdiction (the interception and prevention of market entry) plays out in stark numbers. Each day, officers seized around 1,571 pounds of narcotics, including 60 pounds of fentanyl. They intercepted $152,418 in illicit currency and stopped 55 shipments carrying $15 million in counterfeit or trademark-violating goods.
The 2024 CBP FY report shows that agricultural specialists uncovered 247 pests, a reminder that invasive species can be as disruptive as smuggled weapons.
The work stretches yet further. CBP intercepted 3,586 materials requiring quarantine on average, identified five fraudulent documents, and blocked 13 shipments linked to forced labor worth $4.8 million.
Aviation and marine branches flew 204 enforcement hours and logged 91 hours on the water in a typical “fiscal” day.
Behind every seizure of a luxury SUV bound for another continent sits this broader picture
CBP operates at a scale where inspecting a Rolls-Royce in a container happens alongside intercepting fentanyl, finding counterfeit electronics, and stopping invasive beetles at the docks.
It’s clearly not one job, but a dozen happening at once, every single day. Shew.
