Dozens of high-end vehicles stolen in the US seized in Spain

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish police said on Monday that they seized 24 high-end vehicles that had been stolen in the US.

Criminals shipped the cars and trucks, valued at around €2 million ($2.14 million), across the Atlantic to the Port of Algeciras in southern Spain.

Police seized the vehicles throughout the month of January as they increased their stolen vehicle controls after a spike in suspicious activity in 2022.

Spanish police said they returned the vehicles to the US for further investigation.

Last summer, Interpol spearheaded an operation that recovered more than 1,100 stolen cars worldwide, with some vehicles stolen in Europe found as far away as South America and Australia.

The international police force says international vehicle trafficking is a low-risk way for criminal organizations to raise cash by selling cars or car parts.

At the same time, it says the smuggled cars are often used to finance and carry out other criminal activities such as drug trafficking, arms dealing, people smuggling and terrorism.