Canadian police has accused a
Nigerian organised crime ring known as B.lack A.xe of masterminding the theft of 500 jeeps in Greater Toronto Area this year.
During a press conference on Friday, the police said the crew stole vehicles according a shopping list, they acquired vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and key codes from a Service Ontario employee and had keys cut by a locksmith, who was also arrested.
The cars which were taken to a shipping yard in Montreal arrived Nigeria within days and were sold for half their price.
Staff Inspector Mike Earl said “We had to decide as a police service and with our partner agencies whether we deal with the thefts at hand or we take the head of the snake off — so we went for the head of the snake.”
Police say the vehicles theft accounts for 10 per cent of all vehicles stolen in Toronto in 2015.
The cars are worth an estimated $30 million.
They claim the crime ring works internationally and they have been linked with money laundering scam worth $5 billion.