The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States (US) on April 22, 2026, announced the bust and indictment of an international car-theft syndicate linked to Ghana.
A statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia indicated that the FBI arrested six people believed to be members of the ring, following a year-long investigation.
The syndicate primarily operated in Washington and Pennsylvania, where they allegedly stole cars and sold them either in the US or in Ghana.
“A 15-count indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and charges six individuals in connection with their roles in a conspiracy that allegedly stole at least 20 cars in the Washington metropolitan area and Pennsylvania, transported the vehicles across state lines, and sold the vehicles to buyers in the United States and the African nation of Ghana.
“Law enforcement is continuing to investigate the defendants involved in this ring in relation to the theft of more than 100 vehicles in the District of Columbia and more than 30 vehicles in Prince George’s County, Maryland,” part of the statement read.
The US authorities stated that the suspects stole the vehicles using electronic devices that enabled the conspirators to reprogram cars to accept previously blank key fobs.
“According to the allegations in the indictment, members of the conspiracy caused the vehicles – primarily recently manufactured Honda Civics, CR-Vs, and Acura TLXs and RDXs – to be stolen and then transported them to storage locations that included a parking garage in Southeast Washington, D.C. At the garage, co-conspirators allegedly disguised the appearance of the stolen cars by swapping licence plates and obscuring Vehicle Identification Numbers. Before transporting the vehicles, the defendants disabled the stolen vehicles’ GPS and Bluetooth capabilities to inhibit detection.”
The six suspects arrested are Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland.
They were all charged with conspiracy to possess, sell, and transport stolen motor vehicles.
The authorities indicated that a seventh suspect remains at large and is considered a fugitive, with the indictment against him or her still sealed.
Source: Ghanaweb