Police seized £14m worth of stolen cars and vehicle parts in 2022 trends now
More than £14million worth of stolen luxury cars due to be shipped overseas and stripped for highly valuable parts were uncovered by police in Essex last year.
Images from one investigation show more than 600 high-end vehicles chopped and crushed into a shipping container, many of which were 'stolen to order' and were destined to be sold abroad at inflated prices.
The three-person Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit (SVIU) in Essex Police were behind the discovery of the container, which was crammed with bumpers, steering wheels and headlights.
When the vehicles and their parts arrive at destinations including the Middle East and Africa, they are stripped for parts which can be highly valuable.
The haul included the £100,000 Range Rover of an Essex couple, who woke to find their car had been stolen off of their drive overnight.
Car parts including bumpers, headlights and steering wheels have all been uncovered by the Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit (SVIU) in Essex Police
Images from one investigation show more than 600 high end motors chopped and crushed into a shipping container
Cars are chopped up and the parts are sold for highly inflated prices to other countries
According to police, the cars are stolen to order before they are broken down to be sold
The SVIU team broke a record last year, recovering 626 vehicles and parts, an increase of 30 per cent on 2021, with a total estimated haul of £14m.
The most valuable vehicle the team discovered was a Rolls-Royce Dawn that had been stolen in London and was heading to Dubai in a shipping container from the London Gateway Port in Thurrock.
The missing car had recently cost its owner £350,000 and had been stashed alongside parts of eight stolen Range Rovers.
Though the team regularly seize cars just hours after it is taken, that wasn't the case for one couple in Essex.
Anthony and Danielle Wilson found their £100,000 Land Rover Sport had been rolled off their drive while they slept in July 2021. It took the thieves just 63 seconds to steal the
