Crime gang who handled over £1 million worth of stolen cars sentenced to prison

Four members of an organised crime group have received a total of 10 years and 11 months behind bars following an extensive police investigation into the theft and handling of 50 high value motor vehicles worth over £1 million.

Surrey Police’s investigation began in November 2023 when a customer reported to police that she believed she had unintentionally bought a stolen vehicle from a dealership.

Officers set to work to identify those responsible, tracing the vehicle history back to its original owner and scouring documents and message exchanges with the dealership. Bank records showed that Abdirahman Ismail, 34, and Ali Abbas, 31, had both received funds in return for selling the stolen vehicle.

As the investigation progressed, led by Surrey Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, it became clear this vehicle theft was just one in a string of targeted thefts across London and Surrey. Through extensive enquiries spanning over a year, our investigators pieced together evidence which demonstrated an organised crime group operating across Surrey and London had handled and cloned over 50 stolen vehicles between February 2022 and April 2024. The vehicles were mainly Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and Kia vehicles and the total value was over £1 million.

Once the group had received a stolen a car, they changed the index plates and altered the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN). They then sold the vehicles on, deceiving dealerships into purchasing the cars by using fake driving licences and other documents to complete the sale.

Ismail and Abbas were arrested in May 2024 and phones, laptops, bank cards and documents were seized from their home addresses.

Examination of the seized phones showed extensive messages listing different vehicle models and prices along with photos of index plates, V5C documents and stolen vehicles parked within a workshop. Text message exchanges also indicated the supply of cannabis.

As part of the investigation, two further individuals were connected to the crime group. Hussain Kapadia, 34, and Rizwan Javid, 41, were arrested in September 2024. When Kapadia was arrested at his home address in Ilford, police seized a stolen BMW parked on his driveway.

Detective Constable Alex Boxall, of the Surrey Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "These four men orchestrated a highly organised scheme to clone stolen vehicles, disguising their crimes through the use of fraudulent documentation and selling the cars on to the motor trade.  

“50 vehicle owners were directly affected and this criminal activity also had a significant impact on insurance companies and car dealerships, who suffered losses as a result of the group’s actions.”

Ali Abbas, 31 (DOB 20/04/1994) of Rose Avenue, Mitcham pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handling stolen goods, conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to transfer criminal property, concerned in the supply of class B and C drugs and possession or control of identity documents with intent. He appeared at Chichester Crown court on 27 January 2025 and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

Abdirahman Ismail, 34 (DOB 17/10/1991), of Lancastrian Road, Wallington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handling stolen goods, conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to transfer criminal property, concerned in the supply of class B drugs and possession or control of identity documents with intent. He appeared at Chichester Crown court on 27 January 2025 and was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Rizwan Javid, 41 (DOB 10/08/1984), of Salcombe Drive, Chadwell Heath, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handling stolen goods, conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.  He appeared at Guildford Crown court on 19 September 2025 and was sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment.

Hussain Kapadia, 34 (DOB 04/08/1991), of Auckland Road, Ilford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handling stolen goods, conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He appeared at Guildford Crown court on 19 September 2025 and was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment.

A fifth defendant appeared at Guildford Crown court last week for a jury trial. On Friday, 21 November he was found not guilty of all offences.