In a robust crackdown against vehicle theft, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Baltimore's Field Office have marked a significant milestone by intercepting 250 stolen vehicle exports throughout 2024. This achievement represents meticulous efforts to disrupt the operations of transnational criminal organizations profiting from such illegal activities. Despite the success, these numbers have seen a 27% decrease compared to the 343 recoveries in 2023, as per Customs and Border Protection's announcement.
Matthew Suarez, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore, highlighted the persistence against such criminal ventures, stating, "Auto theft remains a rising concern in the United States and transnational criminal organizations continue to victimize our nation’s citizens and our businesses by stealing our vehicles for illicit profit." His further comments, captured by the Customs and Border Protection newsroom, emphasize the agency's unwavering commitment to "intercepting these vehicles at our seaports and hitting the bad guys where it hurts most, in the wallet."
The Baltimore Field Office oversees territories from Trenton, New Jersey, to the Virginia-North Carolina state line, including various Mid-Atlantic seaports used by criminals to attempt to export stolen vehicles. CBP's persistent vigilance has been pivotal in these recoveries. Vehicles destined for international shores are subjected to rigorous examinations, comparing export documents to the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and cross-referencing with law enforcement databases to confirm if the vehicle is reported stolen.
