🚢 More than 600 stolen vehicles worth over $36 million were recovered at the Port of Newark.
🔎 Authorities say criminal networks recruit children as young as 10 to steal cars.
🌎 Many vehicles were headed to West Africa and the Dominican Republic.
Federal and local authorities at the Port of Newark have recovered more than 600 stolen vehicles worth more than $36 million destined for other countries, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
That’s the most stolen vehicles seized at any port nationwide within a calendar year, said CBP Director of Field Operations Francis Russo said. Through Operation Terminus 3.0, authorities seized and recovered 33 stolen vehicles in just five days.
The vehicles were largely headed toward West Africa and the Dominican Republic, authorities said. According to the FBI, stolen vehicles have been shipped overseas to fund terrorism in some cases.
New Jersey car theft networks recruit children as young as 10
Stealing cars in New Jersey is big business driven by large, sophisticated criminal networks, according to authorities. In June, state prosecutors charged 63 people with stealing $8 million worth of vehicles…