A major criminal syndicate allegedly shipped stolen cars from Australia to the Middle East, with the apparent plot exposed after a series of property raids.
The group is accused of stealing high-end Toyota vehicles in Victoria and Queensland before transporting them in shipping containers to the United Arab Emirates.
The group is alleged to have stolen more than 150 vehicles worth over $20 million from Victoria and a further 60 vehicles in Queensland.
Detectives arrested and charged a 27-year-old man following raids on four properties in the southeast Melbourne suburbs of Doveton and Seaford on Thursday morning.
The man, from Doveton, was charged with conspiracy to commit theft of motor vehicles, theft of motor vehicles and handling stolen goods, in relation to 46 incidents allegedly committed between August and September 2025.
During the raids, investigators also seized three vehicles, multiple electronic devices and business and banking records.
Police allege the syndicate began operating in Victoria but was disrupted and forced to relocate to Queensland in October.
A commercial premises in Cranbourne West, in Melbourne's southeast, was allegedly used as a base of operations from where the stolen vehicles were placed in shipping containers before being transported to the Port of Melbourne and then on to the UAE.
Police do not believe the companies moving the shipping containers were aware of the nature of their contents.
It is believed many of these vehicles were stolen by accessing the vehicle's on-board computers via the vehicle's wiring.
Police urged vehicle owners to lock their car doors and windows to deter opportunistic thieves, and to park in well-lit areas where possible.
While about 80 per cent of stolen vehicles in Victoria were recovered, car theft continued to have a major impact on victims and communities, Detective Acting Inspector Amanda Cohen from the Vehicle Crime Squad said.
"This was a brazen and highly sophisticated syndicate, solely motivated by greed driven profit," she said.
"Their criminal behaviour will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with a range of law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies to combat this issue."
Investigations into the syndicate are ongoing, with additional charges expected to be laid.
The Doveton man was released on bail and is due appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on March 26.
