Eleven Charged in International High-End Auto Theft Ring Tied to Residential Burglaries in New Jersey

State and federal investigation uncovers large-scale operation trafficking stolen vehicles from NJ homes to West Africa via New York garages and port facilities.

POMPTON PLAINS, NJ – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) have announced first-degree racketeering charges against eleven individuals alleged to be involved in a transnational vehicle theft and trafficking ring that operated across New Jersey and New York. The enterprise is accused of burglarizing homes across five New Jersey counties to steal key fobs, with the goal of exporting luxury vehicles to West African nations.

The charges stem from a collaborative investigation involving law enforcement agencies in New Jersey and New York. Authorities say the organized criminal enterprise targeted high-end vehicles—including BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Audis, and Land Rovers—stolen primarily from residences in Morris, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, and Burlington counties. Vehicles were then concealed in parking garages in the Bronx before being loaded into shipping containers bound for countries such as Ghana.

“While car thefts in New Jersey have decreased significantly over the past year and have continued to decrease in 2025, we are committed to reducing them further. This case is about more than just the theft of vehicles, it is about stealing people’s sense of security and safety,” said Attorney General Platkin. “No one should be afraid that a thief will enter their home while they are sleeping to find their key fobs to steal their car, as is alleged in this case. So, we are working collaboratively to use every tool we have to return that sense of safety and security to our communities – including new laws, new technology, and information sharing between law enforcement agencies and between states to shut down car theft operations.”

According to the charging documents, the criminal activity began in July 2024. Investigators ultimately identified 43 stolen vehicles from New Jersey valued at approximately $3.65 million, housed in two Bronx locations—Jennings Street and Third Avenue garages. Several of these vehicles were later recovered from containers at port facilities in Elizabeth, NJ, and Staten Island, NY.

“This case reflects how car theft today is a global enterprise,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said. “Millions of dollars worth of stolen vehicles—including a $475,000 Rolls Royce—were taken to a Bronx parking garage that defendants used as a showroom. The vehicles wound up in shipping containers in Elizabeth and then in West Africa. My Office, specifically, Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lupo, a Deputy Chief in the Trial Division, worked with NYPD Auto Crime and NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin to identify and dismantle this group. We will not tolerate auto crime in the Bronx.”

Structure of the Operation

The theft ring reportedly operated in a hierarchical structure involving promoters, high- and mid-level fences, and vehicle theft crews. The organizers, known only by aliases “Big G” and “E,” allegedly directed operations and assigned theft crews specific vehicle targets. Among those charged:

• Issa Yara, identified as a high-level fence, is alleged to have coordinated directly with theft crews, negotiating prices and exchanging vehicle information via text messages. Communications from January 2025 referenced vehicle types such as “cady,” “x7,” “x3,” and “Benz.”

• Mamadou Camara, Moussa Doumbia, Arona Amadou, Mouslim Ouedraogo, and Moubarak Djibril were identified as mid-level fences who received and purchased stolen vehicles. Camara, in particular, was captured on surveillance operating stolen vehicles at the Jennings Street garage.

• Theft crew members Jahquil Louis, Jomar Ocasio, Daniel Deleon, Quadir Williams, and an unnamed juvenile are alleged to have carried out multiple residential burglaries to obtain vehicle key fobs. In one incident on January 5, 2025, a $89,000 BMW X5 was stolen from Pompton Plains, Morris County, after suspects broke into the home. Another incident on December 30, 2024, involved the theft of a 2024 BMW X7 and a 2021 Audi SQ8 from East Windsor, Mercer County. In both cases, the stolen vehicles were later traced to Bronx garages or intercepted at ports en route to Africa.

Phone and surveillance data placed multiple defendants near burglary scenes and vehicle storage locations. Investigators also discovered that payment to theft crews was facilitated through wire transfers from West African countries to the fences, often in cash.

The total value of vehicles stolen through residential burglaries linked to this network is estimated at $542,295.

Sentencing

All eleven defendants face first-degree racketeering charges, which carry penalties of 10 to 20 years in state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, and fines up to $500,000. Additional charges may include first-, second-, and third-degree offenses related to burglary, theft, and conspiracy, with sentencing guidelines ranging from three to 20 years depending on the charge.

Deputy Attorneys General Jaclyn Dowd and Amie Hyde are prosecuting the case for the DCJ, under the supervision of Deputy Chiefs Joseph Giordano and Matthew Bernal and Bureau Chief Cassandra Montalto.

The investigation was a multi-agency effort involving the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the New York Police Department, Bronx District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local police departments from East Windsor, Edison, Robbinsville, Willingboro, Woodbridge, Caldwell, West Caldwell, Pequannock, and Wall Township, among others. The FBI and National Insurance Crime Bureau also assisted in the investigation.

All charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.