ICE busts 8 smugglers for trying to ship $40 million of stolen cars from Detroit to the Middle East
It’s not unheard of for car thieves to steal American vehicles and ship them overseas. But, every once in a while, federal and state police catch up with the car thieves and bust them with a huge supply of stolen cars, like nearly 400 vehicles worth around $40,000,000, bound for the Middle East.
ICE busted eight men with more than 350 stolen cars in a stolen car scheme shipping ill-gotten rides to the Middle East
ICE and law enforcement in Detroit, Michigan, recently busted eight men in an elaborate car theft ring. Authorities arrested Haydar Al Haydari, Karar Alnakash, Abbas Al Othman, Mohammed Al Hilo, Moustapha Al Fetlawi, Terrill Davis, David Roshinsky Williams, and Mohammed Al Abboodi, according to a statement released afterward.
According to the authorities working the case, Williams and Davis likely sourced the cars, and the other six men would pack them up and set up shipping to the Middle East.
And it wasn’t just commonplace American SUVs, either. There was at least one BMW luxury car among the bust, as well as a Chevrolet Camaro in the mix.
The smugglers had packed those two cars together in the same container bound for Iraq. As if a late-model Chevrolet Camaro would look right at home in Bagdad or Mosul. If that weren’t enough, the smugglers labeled the container of stolen cars as auto parts.
“Stolen cars have no place in interstate commerce and foreign trade,” United States Attorney Gorgon said in a statement. “I very much appreciate the diligent work of our many law-enforcement partners in recovering countless vehicles and putting an end to this criminal scheme. Our work to secure justice for the conspirators and their victims continues.”
The internet thinks the law is going easy on the bad guys
So, what kind of punishment does $40 million worth of stolen cars warrant? Each defendant faces a charge of conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Needless to say, the internet felt that authorities were being too lenient. “40 million and all I have to do is spend 5 years in the joint? I’m in the wrong profession,” one commenter said on Instagram. Although something tells me the busted smugglers didn’t get to keep any cash.
However, the smugglers are also looking at charges of transporting stolen vehicles, which could carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
