Cops put the brakes on a sophisticated ring of car thieves ripping off hundreds of luxury autos for wealthy clients in the United States and Africa who placed orders for specific makes, model, colors and even stereo systems, authorities said yesterday.
The ring used high-tech gadgets and worked with dealership insiders to steal about 450 cars a year, with most of the hot-wheel orders shipped in containers to Senegal.
The cars would be hidden under piles of furniture for the journey to the homeland of alleged ringleader Babacar Lo and his right-hand man, Ibrahime Sall, according to an indictment filed by the State Attorney General’s Office.
Among the 17 men busted in the joint federal, state and city probe were two workers at Toyota dealerships in Connecticut and New Jersey.
After the ring took an order, a “steal crew” would locate the right car — from Toyotas to Mercedes, BMWs and Range Rovers — in the city and suburbs and get Vehicle Identification Numbers off dashboards.
“They would locate the car either on a public street, in parking lots, and even in dealerships,” the indictment said.
The thieves used a device that attaches to the bottom of the steering column and deciphers the car’s individual security code. They then would allegedly use it and the VIN to create a new key.
The crew also got keys from insiders at the dealerships, sometimes riding away with a new car directly from the showroom.
Others were jacked on the street or from garages where workers were on the ring’s payroll. One crew member was a locksmith.
Some of the cars were sold in New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Texas after the thieves came up with new vehicle identification numbers and fake ownership papers.
The ones that traveled to Senegal went for about $25,000 each.
Before a car was shipped, it would be taken to a garage where any anti-theft device would be disabled.
The investigation started about a year ago when authorities got a tip about the racket.
“This is a big case for us,” said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. “If you are thinking about stealing a car in New York City, don’t even think about it.”