Syndicates target luxury SA vehicles for export
THE theft of nearly R15-million worth of luxury cars from a Johannesburg dealership has exposed a rapidly growing trend in the targeting of South African supercars for order.
Those orders‚ especially for luxury German vehicles‚ are mainly from people living in South Africa’s neighbouring countries and the Middle East‚ experts say.
Early on Sunday morning‚ thieves bypassed security systems at Infiniti Motors in Melrose, Johannesburg, making off with six vehicles.
On their shopping list were: a Toyota Land Cruiser‚ a Range Rover Evoque‚ BMW X6 and a Mercedes-Benz ML400‚ an ML63 and a G63.
Three of the cars – the Toyota Land Cruiser and two of the Mercedes-Benzes – were recovered in Kensington‚ Yeoville and Berea.
The theft comes weeks after a Toyota dealership‚ situated opposite Infiniti Motors‚ was attacked by a gang that police believe may be the same people.
Seven Toyota Hilux bakkies and Land Cruisers were stolen in that attack. Four of these vehicles were subsequently recovered‚ one of them in Harare‚ Zimbabwe.
Danie Day‚ a private investigator specialising in cross-border crime investigations‚ said there was a definite demand for luxury German cars‚ especially in countries like Zimbabwe.
“Recently a vehicle racketeering scam whose operators were dealing in Mercedes Benz ML55s was uncovered. We have recovered a number of Mercedes Benz ML63s as well in that country.
“In Zambia there is also a high demand for luxury German cars like Audis‚ BMWs and MercedesBenzes, especially if these are rental vehicles.”
Day said his firm had also discovered that a lot of the multimillion-rand luxury vehicles‚ such as Mercedes-Benzes‚ were being exported to Dubai via Mozambique.
“They get taken straight to the Maputo harbour, where they are loaded into shipping containers and put onto ships. The cars that are going to Dubai are the ‘super high powered vehicles’‚ some of them valued at R2-million and more.”
He said Toyota Hiluxes‚ Cruisers and Fortuners were almost always guaranteed to be taken to Mozambique and Botswana.
“We investigate at least 10 of these kinds of vehicle thefts or hijackings a week.”
SA Insurance Crime Bureau chief operating officer Hugo van Zyl said there was “certainly an increase” in the hijacking and theft of luxury cars‚ with many orders being placed for high-end vehicles.
“The increase in the hijacking and theft of luxury vehicles is especially prevalent where vehicle dealerships are targeted. These vehicles are often recovered in South Africa in cooling-off areas en route to the border‚” he said.
Van Zyl said a lot of cars had been recovered en route to Zambia.