Baltimore CBP Helps Break D.C.-Area Motorcycle Theft Ring
November 4, 2009Baltimore’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers helped put an end to a motorcycle theft ring and recovered eight motorcycles stolen from Maryland and Virginia.
The last two motorcycles — a 2006 Suzuki GSX-R750 reported stolen from Montgomery County, Md., and a 2007 Suzuki GSX-R600 reported stolen from Prince William County, Va. — were recovered from a shipping container on Monday that was en route to Bolivia.
The recoveries were part of an ongoing Fairfax County, Va., police and CBP investigation into an auto theft ring that disassembled motorcycles and smuggled them out of the country in salvage vehicles exported in shipping containers. Fairfax County Police made three arrests.
“This is an extraordinary example of a federal-state law enforcement partnership that ended a significant theft ring of late model motorcycles,” said Stephen Dearborn, CBP Acting Port Director for the Port of Baltimore.
Fairfax County auto theft officers approached CBP in September for help in identifying a shipping container that might contain motorcycles stolen from Fairfax County.
CBP officers located the container on Sept. 15 and discovered two motorcycles that were disassembled and hidden inside boxes or wrapped in blankets and tucked inside four salvage vehicles. Salvage vehicles are vehicles purchased usually at auction for their parts value.
CBP turned the motorcycles over to Fairfax County officers and seized the salvage vehicles for facilitating the smuggling of stolen motorcycles.
During the course of identifying the targeted shipping container, CBP officers searched law enforcement databases and discovered three additional containers manifested similarly to the targeted container. Those three containers were already aboard two ships heading to Bolivia. CBP ordered the three containers to be redelivered to the Baltimore seaport.
The first two arrived on Oct. 20. Inside each container were two motorcycles, disassembled and concealed similarly inside salvage vehicles.
The final container revealed the two motorcycles concealed inside four salvage vehicles.
Each container was devanned at the CBP shed at Dundalk Marine Terminal. The motorcycles’ frames and engines remained basically intact and were discovered wrapped in blankets inside one vehicle. The remaining parts were packaged inside boxes.
The Baltimore seaport is one of the nation’s busiest at importing and exporting new and used cars, trucks, boats, recreational vehicles and farm equipment. CBP officers at the Baltimore seaport are charged with verifying that import and export documents are complete, and that the commodity is accurately reflected on the documents.
CBP officers recovered 18 stolen vehicles during fiscal year 2009, and seven so far this fiscal year.
