CBP Intercepts Stolen Bulldozer Being Smuggled Out at the Port of Baltimore

Criminal syndicates stealing vehicles in the U.S. and shipping them to countries in West Africa are becoming daring, reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Its officers were recently surprised when they found a stolen bulldozer being smuggled out of the Port of Baltimore was destined for Ghana.

Officers stationed at CBP’s Area Port of Baltimore are among the busiest when it comes to intercepting stolen vehicles, the bureau reports. Often, they are being smuggled out of the U.S., hidden in containers. The stolen vehicles are mostly SUVs, sedans, vans, and pickup trucks. Last year, the Baltimore Field Office ranked second nationally in terms of stolen vehicle recoveries.

On September 3, however, they encountered something that was a bit unusual. The officers were inspecting an export shipment and discovered a 2015 Caterpillar D8T bulldozer valued at about $237,000. It was in the process of being shipped to Ghana, a West African nation that CBP reports is a popular destination for stolen vehicles.

While conducting a routine export examination on the dozer, officers discovered that the vehicle identification number (VIN) matched a stolen vehicle report from Carroll County, Maryland. They contacted the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and confirmed that the theft report remained active, resulting in the seizure of the dozer.

CBP says that the seizure of the bulldozer is an indication that criminal syndicates involved in exporting stolen vehicles from the U.S. are becoming daring. West Africa, specifically Nigeria and Ghana, they report are lucrative markets for the stolen vehicles. Last year, about 60 percent, or 151 of the 250 stolen vehicles that officers in the Baltimore Field Office recovered, were destined for West African nations. The 250 recovered stolen vehicles were collectively valued at $9.6 million

Nigeria was the top destination with officers recovering 70 vehicles destined for the country, representing 28 percent of all vehicle recoveries. A total of 28 vehicles were earmarked for shipping to Ghana.

CBP reports that during each of the previous five years, over 90 percent of recovered stolen vehicles were destined to West African nations.

“Customs and Border Protection officers continue to combat transnational criminal organizations by interrupting the international trade in stolen vehicles at our seaports,” said Jason Kropiewnicki, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director in Baltimore. “We will continue to secure our nation’s borders, recover stolen vehicle exports, and work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold these criminal organizations accountable.”

Despite efforts to fight the crime, CBP highlights that national volumes of stolen vehicle export recoveries remain on the rise. In 2024, the agency recovered 1,445 stolen vehicles, about 10 percent more than in 2023, and 81 percent higher than in 2021.