A major international police operation has uncovered a widespread vehicle trafficking network in West Africa, leading to the detection of around 150 stolen vehicles and the seizure of more than 75 in 12 countries across the sub-region.
The two-week operation, code-named “Safe Wheels”, was coordinated by INTERPOL and involved security agencies in Ghana, Nigeria, and 10 other West African countries. The crackdown also led to 18 new investigations and exposed the activities of two organized crime syndicates.
Most of the stolen vehicles were trafficked from Canada, while others had been reported missing in France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
In Nigeria, officers from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) discovered six stolen vehicles—Toyota and Lexus models—inside shipping containers at the port in Lagos. INTERPOL’s global database confirmed that all six cars had been stolen in Canada in 2024, and some showed clear signs of forced entry.
According to officials, investigations are ongoing, with close collaboration between Nigerian authorities and Canada’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau.
In Ghana and other participating countries, law enforcement teams carried out rigorous vehicle inspections, setting up an average of 46 checkpoints daily from March 17 to 30, inspecting over 12,600 vehicles. Popular brands flagged included Toyota, Peugeot, and Honda.
INTERPOL’s Stolen Motor Vehicle (SMV) database played a central role in identifying stolen cars during the operation. The SMV database allows police from its 196 member countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, to instantly check whether a vehicle has been reported stolen.
INTERPOL’s Director of Organized and Emerging Crime, David Caunter, highlighted the global scale of car theft and its ties to organized crime.
“Each year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles are stolen around the world, yet the initial theft is often only the beginning of a vehicle’s journey into the global criminal underworld,” he said.
“Stolen vehicles are trafficked across the globe, traded for drugs and other illicit commodities, enriching organized crime groups and even terrorists.”
The operation forms part of Project Drive Out, a joint initiative between INTERPOL and the Government of Canada, aimed at curbing the smuggling of stolen vehicles and illegal car parts. The project is backed by Canadian funding and technical support.
INTERPOL deployed a team of nine experts from its SMV Task Force to assist security forces in Benin, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo during the operation.
The countries that took part in Operation Safe Wheels include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo.
