DCI recovers UK-stolen Land Rover, Mercedes Benz in nationwide vehicle crackdown

• The grey vehicle was recovered from a motor vehicle yard along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass during Operation Carback II, a week-long multi-agency operation aimed at identifying stolen vehicles and dismantling organised criminal networks.

DCI recovers a grey Land Rover Discovery stolen in the United Kingdom. Photo/DCI

Detectives have recovered a Land Rover Discovery stolen in the United Kingdom during a nationwide crackdown targeting motor vehicle theft syndicates operating in Kenya and across international borders.

The grey vehicle was recovered from a motor vehicle yard along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass during Operation Carback II, a week-long multi-agency operation aimed at identifying stolen vehicles and dismantling organised criminal networks.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the vehicle was impounded after checks against the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) database confirmed that it reported stolen in the UK. It was subsequently taken to DCI headquarters for further investigations.

The operation, which concluded on Friday, October 16, involved detectives from various DCI directorates working alongside national law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

Kenya participated in the simultaneous international operation coordinated by INTERPOL under Project Drive Out, in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

According to the DCI, detectives inspected more than 1,800 vehicles physically and checked over 260,000 vehicles against the INTERPOL database during the nationwide exercise.

The teams conducted enforcement operations across Nairobi, Eastern, Central, Nyanza, Western, Coast and Rift Valley regions, targeting motor vehicle yards, showrooms, garages, spare-parts shops, vehicle bazaars and highway checkpoints.

In Thika West Sub-County, detectives flagged a white Mercedes-Benz Kompressor whose number plates belonged to an orange Suzuki station wagon.

A separate operation in Embakasi led to the recovery of a forklift bearing registration number KAD 132K, which records indicated belonged to a crawler.

Detectives also discovered that its chassis number had been obliterated, raising suspicion and prompting further investigations by DCI Embakasi.

The operation brought together the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service.

"These findings underscore the critical role of intelligence-led operations, coordinated enforcement and international information-sharing in detecting, disrupting and dismantling motor vehicle theft syndicates operating within Kenya and across international borders," the DCI stated.