Gardaí smash lucrative car scam

SPECIALIST and local gardaí, backed up by the Criminal Assets Bureau, have broken up a massive “cabbing” scam in the midlands and south-east.

Criminals operating the trade — in which the cab or shell of a stolen car is put onto the chassis of a crashed car — can earn about €15,000 on each car sold.

Investigators have established that criminals are using tow trucks to steal high-value jeeps and cars from apartment car parks.

Gardaí are particularly concerned at the safety of “cabbed” cars, which can have faulty electrics and warning signs, affecting crucial safety features like air bags and low oil alerts. Sources said the cars could “literally break up in two” if they were in an accident.

Last Thursday, in an operation led by gardaí in the Tipperary Division, a range of back-street garages, yards and other facilities were searched in Tipperary, Laois and Wexford.

Local gardaí were supported by the Garda Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit, a specialist national unit.

The CAB was brought in to examine the financial records of those involved, particularly a “core group” of people who gardaí say are enjoying a “lavish lifestyle” from the scam.

Gardaí seized 20 suspected cabbed cars, as well as engines, and they are now being examined by experts. No one was arrested on the day.

Garda sources said a number of people linked to Thursday’s operation had previously been arrested and that there will be more arrests “down the line”.

The operation was set up after gardaí began investigating why so many cars — particularly 4x4s like the Toyota LandCruiser — were never recovered despite being reported stolen.

Figures show that more than 170 Toyota LandCruisers were reported stolen in the last 18 months, but that fewer than one third of these were recovered. Garda sources knew the cars “had to be going somewhere”. This led them to a number of facilities in the general Tipperary area.

Gardaí have also come across two cases in south Dublin where criminals used tow-trucks to steal cars. In the cases concerned, they got past gates into apartment-block car parks, lifted a Toyota LandCruiser up, and towed it away.

Garda advise people buying any car privately to get a mechanic to examine it.