The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the recovery of a luxury vehicle stolen in the United Kingdom during a week-long, multi-agency crackdown targeting local and international motor vehicle theft syndicates.

The global crackdown, dubbed Operation Carback II, sought to disrupt organised motor vehicle crime networks, recover stolen vehicles and parts, and strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation.

In Kenya, the nationwide enforcement exercise covered Nairobi, Eastern, Central, Nyanza, Western, Coast and Rift Valley regions, targeting motor vehicle yards, showrooms, spare-parts shops, garages, motor vehicle bazaars and highway checkpoints.

Along Nairobi County’s Northern Bypass, detectives raided a motor vehicle yard and recovered a grey Land Rover Discovery bearing registration number KCY 001J.

A check against Interpol’s database established that the vehicle had been reported stolen in the UK.

The vehicle was impounded and escorted to DCI headquarters for further processing and investigations.

In Thika West Sub-County, detectives discovered a white Mercedes-Benz Kompressor bearing registration number KBZ 325J, which was registered to an orange Suzuki station wagon.

The discrepancy raised suspicions over the vehicle’s identity and registration, prompting further investigations by the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer.

In Embakasi, detectives also recovered a forklift bearing registration number KAD 132K, which was found to belong to a crawler.

The discovery of an obliterated chassis number raised further suspicion, prompting the referral of the case to DCI Embakasi for further investigations and appropriate action.

The operation concluded on Friday and was spearheaded by the DCI through its Interpol National Central Bureau in Nairobi and the Operations Directorate, in collaboration with other DCI directorates and national law enforcement agencies.

It also brought together the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service.

“Building on a similar operation conducted in 2024, detectives inspected more than 1,800 vehicles physically and checked over 260,000 vehicles against INTERPOL’s database,” the DCI said on Saturday.

The directorate added that the findings highlight the role of intelligence-led operations, coordinated enforcement and international information-sharing in identifying and disrupting motor vehicle theft syndicates operating across borders.

It also affirmed its commitment to working with national, regional and international partners to combat motor vehicle theft, recover stolen property and bring those involved in the criminal networks to justice.

The coordinated global operation was conducted under Project Drive Out in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).