Auto-theft ring: Ghanaian Busted in Toronto

Toronto police have put the brakes on one cell of a massive auto theft ring that supplied millions of dollars of high end cars to Eastern Europe and Africa.

Four men were arrested following months of high-end auto thefts in Toronto, North York, Vaughan and Richmond Hill.

This is a multi-ethnic crime group that operates in cells where money is common bond among them. Each cell is split into groups with different roles, explained Toronto detective Doug McLean of 32 Division major crime unit.

One group breaks into million-dollar homes, steals the keys and cars from the driveways while the victims are asleep, and parks them at pre-arranged positions.

Another group picks up the cars once they determine the vehicles don't have satellite positioning devices.

A third group then ships them out of the country in containers from Toronto to Montreal and then out of the country to Eastern Europe and Africa, where they are sold for triple their Canadian value.

"It's steal to order," McLean said, adding it's not the vehicle that's ordered, but the quantity of cars.

McLean said some victims have been hit two or three times. The thieves wait until the victims get new vehicles to replace the ones that had already been stolen before striking again.

This week officers arrested Solomon Omoruyi, 34; Alexander Gyimah, 34, the owner of Pobee Shipping, Kwabena Sakyi-Bekoe, 41 and Montrealer Edwin Oviawe, 37.