In West Africa, police operations led by Interpol have found about 150 stolen vehicles, most of which are from Canada, as part of an increasing number of cross-border vehicle trafficking and organized crime for two weeks.
The operation, code-named Safety Wheel, was conducted from 17 to 30 March 2025 and involved national law enforcement agencies in 12 West African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana.
In a statement on April 30, 2025, Interpol revealed that more than 12,600 vehicles were inspected during the operation, resulting in the seizure of more than 75 vehicles, and 18 new investigations into vehicle crime and its ties to organized crime networks.
According to Interpol, most of the stolen vehicles are traceable to Canada, while others have been identified as stolen in France, Germany and the Netherlands. Toyota, Peugeot and Honda are the most common productions.
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of cars are stolen around the world, but the initial theft is often just the beginning of a journey for vehicles to enter the global crime segment,” said David Caunter, director of INTERPOL and emerging crime.
He added: “Stolen vehicles are trafficked worldwide, used for drugs and other illegal goods, enriching organized criminal groups and even terrorists. INTERPOL’s SMV (Stolen Motor Vehicles) database is the strongest tool we have to track stolen vehicles and identify the most involved criminals in this global trade.”
The SMV database provided by Interpol to its 196 member states allows officials in the region to check suspicious vehicles and immediately confirm their status. In 2024 alone, the database can identify approximately 270,000 stolen vehicles worldwide.
In Nigeria, the operation found six high-end vehicles (4 of which were forced into the country) were banned in freight containers from Lagos, Canada. Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) confirmed that all six vehicles, including Toyota and Lexus models, were stolen in 2024.
To support the safety wheel, Interpol deployed nine officials and experts from the SMV task force, including experts from Canada, to assist local law enforcement agencies in Benin, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.
The operation was conducted under the Project Drive, a new partnership between Interpol and the Canadian government aims to curb vehicle theft and illegal trade in auto parts. Funding for the project is provided by Canada.
Participating Interpol member states include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Peso, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. Every day, law enforcement teams in these countries set up an average of 46 checkpoints to check vehicles and track trafficked units.
Officials say the successful coordination of the safety wheel highlights the growing threat of transnational vehicle crime in West Africa, often associated with wider smuggling and illegal trade networks.
The action marks an important step in regional efforts to reduce organized vehicle theft and strengthen international police cooperation.
