U.K. customs discover stolen cars and parts headed for Cyprus and Kenya

By Constantinos Psillides

BRITISH customs officials found hundreds of vehicle parts, luxury cars and motorbikes in containers at the port of Felixstowe in Suffolk on Friday bound for Kenya and Cyprus.

The discovery was made during a coordinated activity to combat keyless vehicle theft, known as Operation Endeavour.

Some of the parts found appear to belong to 12 BMWs reported as stolen from east London.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that five Land Rovers were also discovered in containers destined for Kenya after they were believed stolen from Surrey, South Woodford and Islington,

While no arrests were made in relation to the discovery, British authorities have arrested 84 people, including 16 on suspicion of motor vehicle theft, as part of a nationwide clampdown on stealing keyless vehicles.

CNA reported that car thieves use a device that bypasses the car’s electronic system.

The ring forged ownership documents by registering the stolen cars in the EU countries so they could legally import them to Cyprus, while also altering their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

The case came to light after the British owner of a stolen BMW contacted the authorities to report that his car’s GPS gave a signal from Cyprus.

The luxury vehicles were found at the lot of a car importer in Limassol.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.