The Head of Legal and Prosecution at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Leo Anthony Siamah, has revealed that 10,000 stolen vehicles may be entering Ghana each year.
The EOCO Head of Legal and Prosecution revealed, the agency does not randomly stop cars.
He emphasised that EOCO uses a comprehensive database to track stolen vehicles to specific garages and dealerships.
Mr Siamah added that out of 300 vehicles being investigated by EOCO, they are able to recover about 66.
Speaking on The Key Points on TV3 on August 23, Leo Anthony Siamah stated, “Out of the 300, we were able to recover about 66. But what is worrying is that more than 70 per cent of vehicles we intercepted outside the original list also turned out to be stolen.
This shows the problem is much bigger, suggesting that up to 10,000 stolen vehicles may be entering Ghana each year,” he said.
He further stressed that buyers purchasing cars must
Siamah stressed that buyers purchasing a car must ensure that due diligence is done before purchasing any vehicle.
He urged car buyers to check with either INTERPOL or EOCO to confirm a vehicle isn’t stolen.
In a separate interview, Leo Anthony Siamah listed the four car brands highly suspicious of being stolen cars in Ghana.
According to the Head of EOCO’s Legal Unit, Leo Anthony Siamah, car brands like Honda CR-Vs, Ford F-150 pickups, Range Rovers, and Dodge models are very high in terms of the number of stolen car they have retrieved.
Interpol has placed Ghana as one of the hubs of stolen cars in West Africa.
Leo Anthony Siamah warned buyers to be circumspect and conduct due diligence when buying certain models of cars.
The Head of EOCO’s Legal Unit speaking on Upfront stated, “There are certain types of vehicles that are suspicious. For instance, the Honda CR-V series, the Ford F-150, the Range Rover, and I think the Dodge Ram. These are four brands that are very high in terms of the number of stolen vehicles we recover. Most of them happen to be these vehicles. So, obviously, if you are going to purchase one of those vehicles, that should be a red flag for you”.
He further added that the EOCO office is not limited to only those models. “We’ve gone after a couple of Toyota Highlanders and Honda Accords. So, it’s not like we have a preference,” Siamah clarified.
EOCO warned against buying too new and accident-free vehicles, especially 2023 and 2024 models, on the Ghanaian market.
“If you look at one of those vehicles that was recently released, maybe a 2023 model, 2024 model, which is accident-free, it should be a red flag for you. That should point you to doing extra — for instance, go to Interpol to find out whether or not that car’s status is stolen,” he recommended.
Meanwhile, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, just a day ago announced that they have impounded 43 high-value luxury vehicles stolen from across Europe.
According to COP Lyida Donkor, the high-value luxury vehicles were stolen from the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Canada, the USA, Germany, Italy, and France.
The CID Director General revealed that a collaboration between the CID, Customs and Interpol, DIGIPOL, and the FBI led to the recovery of about 43 vehicles.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, August 4, 2025, COP Lydia Donkor detailed, “These 43 vehicles are mainly high-value luxury vehicles such as Rolls-Royce, Audi Q8,
Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, etc., stolen from countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Canada, USA, Germany, Italy, and France”
“Out of the 43 vehicles that have been impounded, investigations have been completed and the courts have ordered that 18 of them should be repatriated to the countries of origin.
“Eight have already been repatriated, while ten are pending. Repatriation cases on the remaining 25 are still pending in court,” she said.