RICHMOND, Va. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recovered 163 stolen vehicles at the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News in fiscal year 2025, ranking the Virginia ports second in the nation for recoveries.
The CBP Baltimore Field Office reported the recoveries were valued at $8.8 million.
Across all ports in the Baltimore Field Office's jurisdiction — stretching from Philadelphia to Norfolk — officers recovered 307 stolen vehicles, a 23% increase over the previous year.
"Auto theft victimizes our nation's citizens, dealerships, and rental companies, and Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to combating transnational criminal organizations who are profiting on the international trade in stolen vehicles," Matthew Suarez, CBP's Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore, said. "We want to make this perfectly clear, our seaports are not gateways for criminal organizations to export stolen vehicles or other illicit products."
The increase in recoveries comes as the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported a 23% decrease in auto theft across the country.
Officers find stolen vehicles by scanning shipping containers and checking documentation against what is physically present.
"Officers conduct rigorous examinations on exports destined to overseas markets," a CBP spokesperson said. "CBP officers scan shipping containers to ensure that manifest documentation matches each container's contents, compare vehicle export documentation and vehicle identification numbers to vehicles presented for examination, and query law enforcement databases for VINs connected to stolen vehicle reports."
SUVs accounted for 73% of recovered stolen vehicles — 224 vehicles — and 84% of recovered vehicles, or 258, were model years 2020 through 2025. The most commonly recovered models were the Honda CRV (44 vehicles), Toyota Highlander (24 vehicles), Dodge Durango (19 vehicles), and Land Rover Range Rover Sport (11 vehicles).
The 307 recovered vehicles represented 101 unique models, including passenger vehicles, heavy machinery, and motorcycles.
Where were the vehicles headed?
65% of recovered stolen vehicles, or 201, were destined for West Africa:
Ghana: 102 vehicles
Nigeria: 39 vehicles
Togo: 27 vehicles
Guinea: 9 vehicles
Benin: 8 vehicles
Liberia: 7 vehicles
Ivory Coast: 6 vehicles
Senegal: 3 vehicles
20% of recovered stolen vehicles, or 61, were destined for Southwest Asia, which CBP identified as a growing destination market:
Iraq: 23 vehicles
Turkey: 22 vehicles
United Arab Emirates: 15 vehicles
Lebanon: 1 vehicle
Port-by-port breakdown
Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News: 163 stolen vehicles recovered, valued at approximately $8.8 million — ranked No. 2 nationally
Area Port of Baltimore: 122 stolen vehicles recovered, valued at approximately $5.2 million — ranked No. 3 nationally
Area Port of Philadelphia and Port of Wilmington, Del.: 22 stolen vehicles recovered combined, valued at approximately $500,000
The five highest-value recovered vehicles
2024 Lamborghini Urus — $269,885 — recovered in Norfolk, destined for the United Arab Emirates
2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed — $249,175 — recovered in Norfolk, destined for the United Arab Emirates
2024 Cadillac Escalade — $242,150 — recovered in Norfolk, destined for the United Arab Emirates
2017 Ferrari 488 Spider — $239,100 — recovered in Baltimore, destined for Ghana
2024 Mercedes-Benz S680 — $212,547 — recovered in Norfolk, destined for Turkey
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