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37 luxury vehicles stolen abroad retrieved by EOCO

 Thirty-Seven vehicles suspected to have been stolen from USA and Canada were retrieved in a joint operation in Accra last Friday.

Ten persons (names withheld) were also arrested during the operation by the Econom­ic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in collaboration with Federal Bureau of National Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who carried out intelligence that led to the retrieval of various makes of luxury vehicles.

The vehicles, estimated to cost millions of dollars, included BMW, Range Rover, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Honda, Lexus, Audi and Jeep.

The operation was conducted at garages in areas such as Dzorwulu, North Kaneshie,, East Legon, Achimota and Abelemkpe.

The Deputy Director of Operations at EOCO, Nana Antwi, disclosed this to the Gha­naian Times in Accra yesterday.

He said a report from USA and Canada to EOCO had revealed that there were 128 stolen vehicles w in Ghana.

Mr Antwi said suspects arrested for being in possession of the vehicles had since been questioned and granted bail.

He said a list of the vehicles had been sent to the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) and International Police (INTER­POL) for verification.

The Deputy Director of Operations urged the persons who were picked to produce evi­dence of ownership of the vehicles.

Mr Antwi stated that exercise was ongoing, explaining that stealing of vehicles from abroad gave the country a bad name.

He advised prospective car buyers to do due diligence from INTERPOL and DVLA before paying for them.

“We are collaborating with other security agencies to ensure a successful exercise,” he added.

He said EOCO is a specialised agency estab­lished by EOCO Act 2010 (Act 804) to mon­itor and investigate economic and organised crimes and, on the authority of the Attorney General, prosecute these offences to recover the proceeds of crime.

BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI

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