Authorities staged three raids in suburban Maryland yesterday in an effort to break up a major East Coast car-theft ring that allegedly stole more than 1,000 luxury vehicles in the past year and shipped them to West Africa and the Middle East.Mercedes with high-end stereos, BMWs with slick leather interiors, Hummers with shiny rims -- all were taken from dealerships and suburban driveways, carjacked off the street or stolen by other means in the Washington area, New York and New Jersey. They were packed onto container ships docked at New Jersey ports and shipped abroad, authorities said.
The investigation led to the arrest last week of Upper Marlboro resident Solomon O. Asare, 31, a native of Ghana who is described by authorities as a ringleader. Eight others have also been arrested, including a Gaithersburg man who was taken into custody Friday at Dulles International Airport. They were detained on a variety of charges linking them to the alleged conspiracy with tendrils in Prince George's, Howard and Montgomery counties and Northern Virginia.
"This is the largest auto-theft fencing ring I've seen since I've been on the force," said Lt. Rick Nuel, a 22-year veteran and chief of the auto unit with the New Jersey State Police, one of 16 agencies involved in the probe. "When you're looking at the amount of cars going out and the amount of contacts they had, it's huge."
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