An international police crackdown led by INTERPOL has exposed a major vehicle trafficking network in West Africa, with more than 150 stolen cars—mostly from Canada—recovered during a sweeping two-week operation across 12 countries, including Nigeria.
Codenamed *Operation Safe Wheels*, the coordinated action ran from March 17 to 30, 2025, and targeted cross-border auto theft and the criminal syndicates behind it. INTERPOL revealed in a statement that over 12,600 vehicles were screened during the operation, leading to the seizure of at least 75 and the opening of 18 new investigations linked to organised crime.
The bulk of the recovered vehicles were traced back to Canada, with others reported stolen from France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Popular brands such as Toyota, Peugeot, and Honda dominated the list of recovered cars.
Vehicle theft is just the beginning of a larger criminal journey,” said David Caunter, INTERPOL’s Director of Organised and Emerging Crime. “These vehicles are exchanged for drugs and other illicit goods, fuelling international criminal networks and even terrorism.
INTERPOL’s *Stolen Motor Vehicle* (SMV) database—used by all 196 member countries—played a crucial role in the operation, allowing law enforcement officers to instantly verify the origins of suspicious vehicles. In 2024 alone, the system helped track more than 270,000 stolen cars globally.
In Nigeria, six luxury vehicles were intercepted at Lagos ports hidden inside freight containers from Canada. The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) confirmed the vehicles—all reported stolen in 2024—included high-end Toyota and Lexus models. Four showed signs of forced tampering.
Nine INTERPOL officers, including experts from Canada, were deployed to assist local agencies in countries such as Benin, Ghana, Togo, and the Gambia during the joint effort. The initiative was part of *Project Drive Out*, a new Canadian-funded partnership aimed at curbing transnational vehicle theft and illicit trade in car parts.
Across the participating nations—Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, and others—an average of 46 daily checkpoints were established, as security forces worked to disrupt vehicle smuggling routes and dismantle the networks behind them.
Officials hailed the operation as a milestone in boosting regional security coordination and sending a strong signal to organised crime networks that borders are no longer a shield for their illicit dealings.
