Luxury Car Trafficking Ring Busted As 30 Vehicles Confiscated In Sicily Before Heading To Malta And Libya
At least 30 vehicles have been confiscated and 40 people (two of whom are Maltese) arrested after Sicilian police busted a suspected luxury car smuggling ring that spanned from Italy to Libya.
Italian media released an audio recording by the Ragusa Police of a Maltese man and an Italian man as they made a deal relating to the stolen vehicles, with things like the method of payment and the final destination of Libya being mentioned in the recorded conversation.
The bust, part of operation ‘Coast to Coast’, targeted the smugglers as they headed towards North Africa
The range of 30 confiscated vehicles includes everything from Porsches and BMW X5s to Mini Coopers and even Smarts and commercial trucks. In fact, the Ragusa Police detailed how the confiscated vehicles are “21 trucks, one concrete mixer, one compactor and eight cars”.
It is suspected that the vehicles, discovered in Ragusa, had been stolen over the last few weeks in Sicily, Toscana and Emilia by Italians, and were going to be moved through the port of Pozzallo on their way to Malta.
When the vehicles arrive in Malta, they are then transferred to Libya with the help of Maltese intermediaries.
Aside from the vehicles, a number of other related items were confiscated by Italian police, including stolen license plates as well as a number of falsified documents.