30 Cars Stolen in UK Traced to Thailand, Returned to Owners

[digger70]

5 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Cars were recovered in Thailand more than seven years ago. From the article cars haven't yet been returned just the promise of return 'per legal requirements'.

My how slowly the wheels of justice turn here.

If they Ever make it back to the rightful owners.

[PETERTHEEATER]

4 hours ago, mr_lob said:

SUW? or BKK?

BKK

[Graham8888]

8 hours ago, ezzra said:

It's just goes to  show the level of corruptions that is going on everywhere so bad to be able to cheat their ways

to smuggles hi end cars with impunity...

This has been going on since at least the 90s - started as cars bought in the uk then registered in Thailand with corrupt officials at the bonded warehouses but then moved on as stolen cars are cheaper to buy. This will never stop with the 200% import diuty on foreign cars in place 

[BigStar]

8 hours ago, arick said:

So it's not just African stealing cars from the west it's our lovely friends the Thais.

 

It's not clear whether Boy Unity physically stole them himself but merely hired Liverpudlians or other members of the Islamic Republic to do the grunt work.

 

[JBChiangRai]

17 minutes ago, BigStar said:

 

It's not clear whether Boy Unity physically stole them himself but merely hired Liverpudlians or other members of the Islamic Republic to do the grunt work.

 

I suspect he used Thai mules resident in the UK.

[Photoguy21]

8 hours ago, nakhonandy said:

First I've heard of stolen cars being resold here. Usually Europe or the Middle East. 

Good work from all involved to get them back.

Are you sure about the Middle East? In most of those countries money and availability of super cars is not a problem.

[off road pat]

8 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Cars were recovered in Thailand more than seven years ago. From the article cars haven't yet been returned just the promise of return 'per legal requirements'.

My how slowly the wheels of justice turn here.

Yeah, the wheels of justice runs on flat tires in Thailand !! Just like the car in the picture !

[off road pat]

Thailand !!! The hub of stolen Luxury cars !!!!

[oustaristocrats]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Thirty stolen UK vehicles sold in Thailand have been recovered and returned to their rightful owners, announced at a ceremony today attended by Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong and British Ambassador Mark Gooding.

 

The investigation began when UK authorities, through the National Crime Agency, requested help in locating 35 luxury vehicles stolen by a suspect named Mr. Inthrasak, also known as Boy Unity. The thefts occurred between 2016 and 2017, and the vehicles were smuggled into Thailand under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

 

These high-end cars were fraudulently purchased through hire agreements from various UK companies. The group involved certified the vehicles as new to British customs, before flying them from Heathrow Airport to Singapore and then shipping them to Thailand.

 

Picture courtesy: MGR online

 

“Criminals imported the stolen cars through three companies, submitting documents and paying taxes to the Thai Customs Department to ensure their validity. They then registered the vehicles at the Land Department and sold them to unsuspecting buyers,” said Pol. Col. Yutthana Praedam, acting head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

 

 

A landmark raid by the DSI on May 18, 2017, at nine different locations in Bangkok resulted in the seizure of multiple luxury vehicles, including five BMW M4s, one Ford Mustang, one Honda GT Type-R, one Lamborghini Huracán Spyder, one Lexus, eight Mercedes-Benz, one Mini Cooper, three Nissan GT-Rs, five Porsches, two Land Rovers, and two Volkswagen GTIs.

 

Picture courtesy: MGR online

 

Legal proceedings were launched against Inthrasak and 12 other suspects involved in the operation.

 

Mr. Watcharin Panurat, executive director for investigation, stated that the vehicles would be returned to the UK per legal requirements, and victims could file lawsuits against the companies that sold them the stolen cars. Last month, two victims won lawsuits against these companies, receiving full payment refunds.

 

Today's ceremony marks a significant win for the coordinated efforts between UK and Thai authorities, ensuring that justice is served and stolen property is rightfully returned.

 

TOP: British Ambassador Mark Gooding (left). Picture courtesy: MGR online

 

-- 2024-07-20

 

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Just look what a complicated smuggling route and process these criminals have to follow before the cars are finally on the roads in Thailand.  

The problem is somewhere else. It all has to do with the complete insane car import ban on 2nd hand cars pushed through by Prayut in 2013 and up to 320% tax on cars, still in place for vehicles exempted from the ban. Just think about it ... 320% !  Which enormous efforts and amount people can still spend to get that car into Thailand by other means before hitting the tax levels. This kind of ban and tax levels is a magnet and invitation to bypass the absurd rules, not only for criminals. 

Thailand has to follow common sense, and the rest of the world: Lift that ban and introduce normal tax levels, allow people to import their car after doing a proper paperwork, and checks. The current law is an engine of fraudulent behaviour as we see in this article, and many more cases still to come.

[john11k]

10 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Cars were recovered in Thailand more than seven years ago. From the article cars haven't yet been returned just the promise of return 'per legal requirements'.

My how slowly the wheels of justice turn here.

The slower they turn , the more money the boys make.  ! 

[Chongalulu]

8 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

So the cars were recovered, by the police here in Thailand, seven years ago.

For seven years, the cars have been in police custody.

They obviously cannot just leave them 'parked up', for all of that time, so surely the police will have been taking them for daily 'test runs' to ensure that they are all in perfect working order?  

It kept Ferrari Joe busy up until that fateful event with a carrier bag…

[nakhonandy]

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Are you sure about the Middle East? In most of those countries money and availability of super cars is not a problem.

I'm not so sure about now, but certainly in the past.

Not everybody in some Middle Eastern countries are loaded, in fact there's a lot of inequality. 

[KannikaP]

11 hours ago, nakhonandy said:

First I've heard of stolen cars being resold here. Usually Europe or the Middle East. 

Good work from all involved to get them back.

How can right hand drive cars be sold legally in Europe or Middle East?

[nakhonandy]

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

How can right hand drive cars be sold legally in Europe or Middle East?

Why not? It's not illegal to drive right hand drive cars in those countries.

I drove an English car for about 2 years when I lived in Europe. 

[Kinnock]

TAT's new slogan:

 

"Visit Thailand, your car is already here"

 

 

[cardinalblue]

Again, another poorly written story...But if the insurance companies paid the original owners, then they are the rightful owners of the cars...It makes no sense to me why they were held in police custody for 7 years? One would think the insurance companies would have taken possession asap so they could have re-sold/auction them off  

[pedro01]

On 7/20/2024 at 5:04 AM, Patong2021 said:

That's a first, and I mean that in a positive way. Typically, these vehicles are transited through to Dubai, Beirut and various African ports never to be recovered. Western countries with lax judicial and police response to vehicle theft are targeted by organized crime gangs, many of whom are linked to international terrorism. 

 

Actually, unless this news is a reprint from somewhere in the past decade - this is a second!

[Photoguy21]

20 hours ago, nakhonandy said:

I'm not so sure about now, but certainly in the past.

Not everybody in some Middle Eastern countries are loaded, in fact there's a lot of inequality. 

I have seen brand new Mercedes abandoned by the roadside, In Qatar you see a lot of Porsche, BMW even Rollers as well. I have never seen or heard of any of the locals buying a car that was not new and from the dealer in country.

[stratocaster]

A situation that has been overlooked is that this could just be a scam to offload these cars in Thailand. Remember they are all according to the police and customs road legal here. I would imagine that the owners are the insurance companies. Are they going to go to the bother of recovering these cars back to the UK,  or just hold an auction in Thailand and repatriate the cash received back to them. These "supercars" are only of high value in Thailand. Here are some values at auction of a couple of these cars,stolen recovered no damage.

BMW M4 2017 UK value 14500 pounds sold for 5100 pounds.

Mini Cooper 2017 UK value 10000 pounds sold 3000 pounds

Range Rover 2017 UK value 23500 pounds sold 20000 pounds

Nissan GT-R 2017 UK value 68000 pounds sold 35000 pounds.

These are the prices as valued by the insurance company who entered the auction directly.

[Montnoveau]

On 7/20/2024 at 1:37 AM, nakhonandy said:

First I've heard of stolen cars being resold here. Usually Europe or the Middle East. 

Good work from all involved to get them back.

Because both UK and Thailand drives on the wrong side of the road, then it makes more sense... The rest of us Europeans, our cars only gets to Lithuania.

[JBChiangRai]

15 minutes ago, Montnoveau said:

Because both UK and Thailand drives on the wrong side of the road, then it makes more sense... The rest of us Europeans, our cars only gets to Lithuania.

 

Correction - The UK & Thailand drive on the "correct" side of the road.

[jts-khorat]

On 7/20/2024 at 3:22 AM, Tropicalevo said:

So the cars were recovered, by the police here in Thailand, seven years ago.

For seven years, the cars have been in police custody.

 

 

And stored improperly. Note the flat tire of the car in the photo.

 

I would not want to get a car back that was stolen in 2017. Loss of value must be horrendous.

[nakhonandy]

On 7/21/2024 at 7:58 AM, Photoguy21 said:

I have seen brand new Mercedes abandoned by the roadside, In Qatar you see a lot of Porsche, BMW even Rollers as well. I have never seen or heard of any of the locals buying a car that was not new and from the dealer in country.

You only mention the UAE, that's a very small part of the middle east.

Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen etc are certainly places where stolen cars were sold.

[Photoguy21]

15 hours ago, nakhonandy said:

You only mention the UAE, that's a very small part of the middle east.

Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen etc are certainly places where stolen cars were sold.

I have also been to the Emirates, Qatar, Oman. Yemen and the places you mention probably yes but not the Gulf states