SUV stolen from Toronto driveway shows up 50 days later — AirTags tracked vehicle from Canada to Middle East, offering glimpse into shipping routes used by car thieves (www.cbc.ca)
from L4s@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 06:00
https://lemmy.world/post/10813609

SUV stolen from Toronto driveway shows up 50 days later — AirTags tracked vehicle from Canada to Middle East, offering glimpse into shipping routes used by car thieves::A Toronto man used location tags to track his stolen GMC Yukon from a rail yard in the GTA to a used car lot in the United Arab Emirates. But despite calls to several police services and the help of a private investigator, he’s no closer to getting it back.

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 17 Jan 2024 06:05 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Using Apple AirTags he had hidden in the vehicle, Andrew tracked the 2022 GMC Yukon XL to a nearby rail yard, then to the Port of Montreal, and ultimately to a used car lot in the United Arab Emirates.

CBC News has agreed to conceal Andrew’s full name and identifying details, as his family fears reprisals for fighting back against the thieves.

Andrew’s extraordinary efforts provide a rare glimpse into an overseas shipping route used by criminals amid Canada’s auto theft epidemic.

Parked in the driveway, their SUV’s steering wheel was bent inward — the anti-theft lock still secured — and the driver’s seat was set further back than usual.

CPKC spokesperson Terry Cunha declined to discuss the incident, but said in a statement the railway “works with federal, provincial and local law enforcement agencies executing a number of strategies to identify and recover stolen vehicles.”

Wade said in an interview it’s “alarmingly common” for criminals to move stolen vehicles in containers on trains or trucks, then to export them to the Middle East, Europe or northern Africa.


The original article contains 1,132 words, the summary contains 177 words. Saved 84%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

Sneptaur@pawb.social on 17 Jan 2024 07:19 next collapse

Maybe bro shoulda bought a sedan instead.

kautau@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 09:51 next collapse

gets car stolen

“His fault for having a car”

ExLisper@linux.community on 17 Jan 2024 10:17 next collapse

Can’t argue with that logic.

fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world on 18 Jan 2024 05:47 next collapse

They’d had the same model SUV stolen from the same place in May.

IDK, I’d consider getting a different car now at least after having two of the exact same model.

Sedans are less desirable, so not worth stealing. Especially not for Dubai.

Sneptaur@pawb.social on 21 Jan 2024 21:25 collapse

Yes exactly

ililiililiililiilili@lemm.ee on 17 Jan 2024 10:36 next collapse

Good call. Sedans are un-stealable. taps head

Kecessa@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jan 2024 12:24 next collapse

Unless they’re a Hyundai/Kia then they’re un-un-stealable!

Sneptaur@pawb.social on 21 Jan 2024 21:24 collapse

Yes see someone gets it

jaschen@lemmynsfw.com on 17 Jan 2024 11:03 collapse

Why didn’t you say bicycle?

Rinox@feddit.it on 17 Jan 2024 12:04 next collapse

Bicycles can’t be stolen

Kbobabob@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 12:46 collapse

I’ve had 6 locks stolen but they leave the damn bike every time.

Sneptaur@pawb.social on 21 Jan 2024 21:24 collapse

You know what you’re right

RainfallSonata@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 09:06 next collapse

Who does he expect is going to pay to ship it back to him?

variants@possumpat.io on 17 Jan 2024 09:33 collapse

I guess the insurance company?

RainfallSonata@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 10:36 collapse

Would they, though? Wouldn’t they just write it off? I mean, I have no idea what it costs to ship a vehicle from the middle east, but if it involves cargo ships and freight trains, would they bother? Has he got to arrange and pay for it himself and get reimbursed? Just buy a new car. Trying to get it back at this point is over the top. Maybe don’t buy a douchemobile next time.

barsoap@lemm.ee on 17 Jan 2024 10:51 next collapse

Brand-new cars get shipped all the time over oceans before showing up in showrooms, it’s not that expensive.

OTOH it might be cheaper to sell the car in the middle east and buy a used one on the continent it’s produced on. On yet another hand the insurance might just say “we don’t want to deal with this shit” and pay out: Even figuring out the legalities, paying agents in multiple countries etc. might be more expensive.

Quill0@lemmy.digitalfall.net on 18 Jan 2024 13:58 collapse

That is done in bulk however. Shipping one car is expensive

CADmonkey@lemmy.world on 18 Jan 2024 14:09 collapse

Something tells me stolen cars are shipped in bulk.

ikidd@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 17:46 collapse

They’d absolutely write it off, the shipping would pale in comparison to the effort to clear all the foreign paperwork and then get it back into Canada. And as the owner, you’d want it replaced because you have no idea what’s been done to it in the several months it would take to get it back.

Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca on 18 Jan 2024 14:38 collapse

Apparently the shipping wasn’t too much for the thieves. Wonder why they bother stealing a vehicle from Canada and not somewhere closer to where it was going to end up.

dubyakay@lemmy.ca on 18 Jan 2024 14:58 next collapse

The Canadian government subsidizes their shipping at the expense of tax payers.

ikidd@lemmy.world on 18 Jan 2024 15:32 collapse

Maybe because the truck is free for the thieves and costs full price for the insurance company? And if you want to pick peaches, you go where the peaches are, then drive all the way back. There are very few Yukon or Yukon size vehicles outside of NA.

kautau@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 09:51 next collapse

Andrew received a picture taken from inside a police car, parked near two containers sitting on a railcar. “It’s definitely in one of those containers,” the officer said in a series of text messages viewed by CBC News. But the York officer said they didn’t “have the authority to open the containers.” Instead, they directed Andrew to the railway’s private police service.

Andrew said CPKC police didn’t respond to the scene that night and the train carrying his truck took off soon after. “That’s the pinnacle of the frustration,” Andrew told CBC, “knowing that it’s still here, but it’s about to disappear.”

CPKC spokesperson Terry Cunha declined to discuss the incident, but said in a statement the railway “works with federal, provincial and local law enforcement agencies executing a number of strategies to identify and recover stolen vehicles.”

Someone’s palms are real greasy here

Kecessa@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jan 2024 12:21 collapse

"Wait, you expect us to actually do our job :( "

It’s a PRIVATE police service, the PUBLIC police force shouldn’t have to ask anything from them and should be laughing in their face as they’re opening containers.

SomeKindaName@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 22:49 collapse

They should need to get a warrant, but that doesn’t sound too hard in this instance.

shasta@lemm.ee on 18 Jan 2024 09:06 collapse

Yep and judges don’t work nights. Nothing for the police to do in this instance except wait for the next day… And then it was gone.

OozingPositron@feddit.cl on 17 Jan 2024 10:08 next collapse

>AirTags tracked vehicle from GTA to Middle East, offering glimpse into shipping routes used by car thieves

Dammit Yusuf!

Dagwood222@lemm.ee on 17 Jan 2024 12:37 next collapse

[off topic?]

www.cnn.com/2015/12/14/us/…/index.html

Tristaniopsis@aussie.zone on 18 Jan 2024 14:48 collapse

Oh… the middle EAST! I first read that as Middle Earth and wondered if Sauron was up to his old tricks again.