Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Archived Content
    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.
  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Norfolk CBP Officers Recover Stolen Vehicles Headed to Africa

Norfolk CBP Officers Recover Stolen Vehicles Headed to Africa

Release Date
Wed, 12/27/2017

NORFOLK, VA – As 2017 comes to an end, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Outbound Enforcement Team at the Port of Norfolk intercepted and recovered nine stolen vehicles bound for Africa since December 1st.

CBP Norfolk recovered 2018 Mercedes
2018 Mercedes Benz, one of 19 stolen
vehicles recovered by CBP Norfolk
since October 1.

The vehicles were all to be exported from the Norfolk seaport with a majority destined for West African countries. The stolen autos recovered included a variety of high priced makes and models such as a 2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2017 Infinity QX80 and a 2018 Mercedes GLE. Since October 1, the CBP Norfolk Outbound team seized a total of 16 vehicles making the overall value of the stolen automobiles in three months over $691,000 dollars.

“We work with various federal, state and local law enforcement authorities to ensure unauthorized exports are not allowed to leave the country,” said Mark J. Laria, CBP Area Port Director. “CBP is the last line of defense in the export control process, and we do use our authority to inspect, search, detain and seize goods being exported illegally or without proper authorization.”

The recovered vehicles will be turned over to Virginia State Police Special Agents who will return the vehicles to their rightful owners.

CBP officers at the Port of Norfolk routinely review exports to determine compliance with existing U.S. export laws. Norfolk CBP Officers use a variety of inspection methods and linked computer databases to locate and intercept stolen vehicles that are attempted to be exported from the United States.

CBP Norfolk recovered 2017 Cadillac
This stolen 2017 Cadillac was recovered
by CBP Norfolk Officers

When exporting a vehicle, CBP must be presented the original document that shows the basis for ownership or right of possession, such as a bill of sale, and two complete copies of that original document. Further, the owner must certify in writing to CBP that the procurement of the vehicle was a bona fide transaction, and that the vehicle presented for export is not stolen.

CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Mar 15, 2024