More than 250 vehicles stolen in Canada have been piling up for months at one of Italy's largest ports after being seized in suspicious containers from Montreal.
“If you look at the space it occupies, it is huge,” Ferdinando Tranfo, commissioner of the Italian National Police and responsible for the borders, testified in French.
Dozens of Canadian-registered vehicles have been stuck in the port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy for months. Photo provided by Polizia di Stato
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Between October 2022 and September 2023, his team managed to find 251 Canadian vehicles worth $32 million.
The large-scale operation opened 483 containers on 18 cargo ships passing through the port of Gioia Tauro in the south of the country.
Strategic port
Transatlantic ships often refuel at this huge transshipment port before continuing on to the Middle East.
But it is also a strategic location to intercept illegal goods before they reach their final destination.
The vehicles stolen from us were found in these containers traveling through Italy on the way to their final destination. Photo provided by Polizia di Stato
In this case, according to an official statement, the cars were on their way to Libya, Morocco, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Most were virtually new luxury vehicles, many valued at more than $150,000.
AND AT YOUR HOME?
Is your community frequently targeted by car thieves?
Find out on this map compiled by our investigative agency, which allows you to pinpoint down to the street in specific cities where thousands of vehicles have been stolen in Quebec since the beginning of the year.
Municipality (number of flights)
Number of flights to the same address
methodology
This map of vehicle thefts in Quebec covers the year 2023, from January 1st to a date between June 30th and October 12th, depending on the city.
The data comes from the Sûreté du Québec, the City of Montreal Police Service, the City of Laval, the City of Longueuil, the City of Gatineau Police Service, the Quebec City Police Service, the City of Lévis Police Service, the Sherbrooke Police Department, the City Blainville, Châteauguay Police Department, Mascouche City Police Department, Granby City Police Department, Trois-Rivières City Police Department, Bromont City Police Department, Lac des Deux-Montagnes Police Department, Memphrémagog Police Department, Police Department the city of Saint-Eustache, the police of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the city of Repentigny, the city of Mirabel and the Équité association. Some were obtained through access to information.
Note that municipalities may have vehicles such as motorcycles, trucks, or boats included in their balance sheet. The location data was sent to us in different forms: postal code, street corner, street or district.
Data compilation: Nora T. Lamontagne and Philippe Langlois, Bureau of Investigation
A nice shot
Jacques Lamontagne, head of investigations at the Équité Association, believes the Italians' efforts have enabled “a very good dragnet.”
His organization, which acts as a link between insurers and foreign authorities, registered around 700 stolen vehicles that were tracked internationally last year. At least a hundred have already been repatriated by their respective insurers.
However, keep in mind that in Quebec alone, more than 13,000 vehicles were stolen in 2023, some of which were subsequently exported for sale.
The consequences of this scourge are even reflected in the Italian ports.
Italian agents have noted that cargo ships from Canada often carry vehicles reported stolen in America compared to other countries. Photo provided by Polizia di stato
“We check boats from all over America, but many more vehicles are stolen from boats from Canada,” says Ferdinando Tranfo, highlighting the cooperation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in further developing the investigation.
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On the way back
Once confiscated, vehicles will not be returned to those from whom they were stolen. The insurers who became owners after the theft must decide their fate.
“The first analysis they will do is to evaluate the value of the vehicle versus the cost of all steps to return it [au pays]», explains Jacques Lamontagne.
The average cost of the crossing is $6,000, not including repair costs related to the theft. “And if the vehicle sits on the dock for a year, it loses value,” he remembers.
However, many insurers prefer to repatriate the car rather than sell it at a local auction because different regulations make the transactions difficult.
The repatriation process can then take months or even years, as is currently the case.
With a bit of luck, Ferdinando Tranfo expects to send the first vehicles back to Canada in the coming weeks.
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