Irish motorists are unwittingly importing stolen vehicles from the United Kingdom at a rate of one per week, according to gardaí.
Responding to notices in small ad magazines and on the internet, the Irish buyers are losing tens of thousands of euros when the vehicles are seized by gardaí, with little or no means of having their money returned.
Detective sergeant Finbar Garland of the Garda Stolen Vehicle Unit told The Irish Times that many of the stolen UK vehicles seized were 4x4 pick-up trucks and commercial vans, but stolen passenger cars have also been found.
He said the vehicles are sold to unsuspecting Irish buyers who usually travel to the UK by air and return by boat with their purchase, having handed over the cash to the seller at a previously arranged location, such as an airport carpark.
"It's when they register the vehicle, or try to register it, back in Ireland that it is detected because we have alerted Revenue that there are forged and stolen documents in circulation," Det Sgt Garland said.
Last year, thousands of blank vehicle registration documents were stolen in the UK and it is these that are still be used by car criminals.
In November, police in the UK warned that the documents, stolen in February, were still being used in order to sell on stolen vehicles.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said the most popular vehicles being stolen and sold on in this manner were Ford Transits, Nissan Navaras as well as BMWs, Mercedes and Audis. They are often sold at or just under bottom book price and usually for cash, according to ACPO's Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service.
It is believed the criminals are stealing vehicles, then taking note of registration numbers belonging to similar vehicles for sale on forecourts. They are then using these numbers to make false plates to put on the stolen vehicles, which are sold on to the unsuspecting customer. This legitimate registration plate number allows any background checks carried out by buyers to show up seemingly legitimate information about the vehicle.
"A lot of people have done legitimate checks using the registration number," Det Sgt Garland added. "It is a new phenomenon that a lot of people are going over to the UK buying cars, but unfortunately they are buying stolen cars without their knowledge.
"The most common one is 4X4 pick-ups . . . we're taking in at least one a week at the moment. You're talking about a lot of money and unfortunately people are paying cash and there is very little trace of where the money is going."
According to Revenue figures, 44,252 vehicles were imported from the UK to Ireland in 2007, representing more than 83.2 per cent of the total number of vehicles imported and re-registered. The figures is up on the 2006 figure of 41,707 vehicles.
A report published last week showed that UK-registered cars, written off as dangerous and classed as not roadworthy following crashes, have been sold to motorists in Ireland and have reappeared on Irish roads.
The Cartell.ie report found that some UK cars that were sold and later re-registered in Ireland were listed as being written off on the British vehicle register. An investigation team comprising representatives of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), the Garda, the Department of Transport and the Revenue Commissioners is examining the report.
