CNBNews

BALTIMORE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in the Baltimore Field Office continue to combat transnational criminal organizations that profit on the international trade in stolen vehicles. CBP officers here intercepted 250 stolen vehicle exports during 2024, a 27% decrease from the 343 recoveries in 2023.

Collectively, the recovered stolen vehicle exports were valued at $9.6 million.

Nationally, CBP recovered 1,445 stolen vehicle exports, about a 9% increase over the 1,316 stolen vehicle exports that CBP officers recovered in 2023.

Despite the recovery numbers increasing nationally, the regional and local recovery numbers have decreased. That drop can be attributed to several factors. CBP officers in the Baltimore Field Office have gained a reputation as highly competent hunters who excel at sniffing out attempts to export stolen vehicles through Mid-Atlantic seaports.

Additionally, as with legitimate businesses, transnational criminal organizations conduct risk assessments and shift operations if the risk exceeds their loss tolerance.

“Auto theft remains a rising concern in the United States and transnational criminal organizations continue to victimize our nation’s citizens and our businesses by stealing our vehicles for illicit profit,” said Matthew Suarez, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore. “Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to combatting this illicit international trade in stolen vehicles by intercepting these vehicles at our seaports and hitting the bad guys where it hurts most, in the wallet.”

The Baltimore Field Office covers an area from Trenton, N.J., to the Virginia – North Carolina state line, and includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Vehicles and other conveyances are exported through busy seaports in the Delaware Valley region, Baltimore, and Norfolk, Va.

Rigorous import and export examinations remain a critical component to CBP’s border security mission. When vehicles arrive at export ports, CBP officers inspect export documentation and then compare the documentation to a vehicle’s identification number (VIN). Officers will then research the VIN in law enforcement databases to verify that the vehicle is not reported stolen.

The following data points offer insight into the Baltimore Field Office’s recovered stolen vehicles during 2024. Media can compare this year’s details to the 2023 recovered stolen vehicle export announcement.

• The Baltimore Field Office ranked 2nd nationally with 250 stolen vehicle recoveries. These vehicles were valued at $9,644,569.
• The Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News recovered 126 stolen vehicle exports during fiscal year 2024, down from 180 vehicle recoveries in 2023. The vehicles were collectively valued at $6,432,997.
• The Area Port of Baltimore recovered 94 stolen vehicle exports during fiscal year 2024, down from 141 vehicle recoveries in 2023. The vehicles were collectively valued at $2,669,749.
• The Area Port of Norfolk ranked #2 and the Area Port of Baltimore ranked #3 nationally among CBP Ports.
• The Area Port of Philadelphia and the Port of Wilmington, Del., collectively recovered 30 stolen export vehicles during fiscal year 2024, up from 22 vehicle recoveries in 2023. The vehicles were collectively valued at $541,823
• The Baltimore Field Office annually averaged 212 export stolen vehicle recoveries during the previous five years, 2020-2024 (138 + 91 + 238 + 343 + 250 = 1,060 total).
• 60%, or 151 vehicles, were destined to the West Africa nations of Benin (9), The Gambia (4), Ghana (28), Guinea (4), Ivory Coast (3), Liberia (2), Mali (5), Nigeria (70), Senegal (1), Sierra Leone (4), and Togo (21). During each of the previous five years, over 90% of recovered stolen vehicles were destined to West Africa nations.
• Nigeria was the top destination for stolen vehicle exports. CBP officers recovered 70 vehicles destined for this West Africa nation. This represented 28% of all vehicle recoveries last year.
• 26%, or 65 vehicles, were destined to Iraq (49 vehicles) and the United Arab Emirates (16).
• 63%, or 158 vehicles, were from model years 2020 through 2024.
• 2023 represented the most popular model year; 66 vehicles or 26% were from the 2023 model year.
• CBP officers recovered one 2025 model year vehicle.
• The vehicles included 72 unique models.
• 72% or 180 recovered stolen vehicles were subcompact to full-sized sport utility vehicles.
• Vehicles by class -- 180 SUVs, 51 sedans, 16 pickup trucks, and three minivans.
• The top five vehicle models were Toyota Highlander (20 vehicles), Jeep Grand Cherokee (17), Range Rover Sport (16), Chevrolet Suburban (15), and Dodge Durango (15).
• The top five highest valued stolen vehicle exports that CBP recovered were:
  • 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan valued at $467,700 (Norfolk to Turkey)
  • 2023 Mercedes Benz Maybach valued at $160,075 (Norfolk to Ghana)
  • 2023 Land Rover Range Rover P530 valued at $149,475 (Norfolk to Nigeria)
  • 2024 Land Rover Range Rover P530 valued at $138,855 (Baltimore to Togo)
  • 2024 Ram 1500 TRX valued at $133,169 (Norfolk to United Arab Emirates)
• Officers also recovered a 2019 Can Am maverick X3 four wheel utility vehicle, and a 2020 Suzuki Dr-Z 400SM motorcycle.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2024. Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.

--CBP--

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America’s frontline: the nation’s largest law enforcement organization and the world’s first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation’s security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.