Bronx DA Cracks Down on $3 Million Luxury Car Theft Ring
Eight men, most of whom are from the Bronx, have been charged in connection with a massive international auto theft ring that operated out of a Longwood garage. The ring allegedly used the garage as a hub to fence high-end vehicles that were later shipped to West Africa.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the charges last week, following a nine-month, multi-agency investigation dubbed ‘Operation High Rollers.’ The investigation was conducted in partnership with the NYPD Auto Crime Division and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
Prosecutors claim the defendants stole and sold millions of dollars’ worth of luxury vehicles, including a $475,000 Rolls Royce. They used a Jennings Street garage as a pseudo-showroom for illicit transactions. ‘This case reflects how car theft today is a global enterprise,’ said DA Clark. ‘We will not tolerate auto crime in the Bronx.’
The stolen vehicles, many taken from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, were delivered to 870 Jennings St. in the Bronx. Buyers would inspect and purchase the cars for cash, after which they were transported to shipping containers in Elizabeth, NJ, and sent overseas to Gambia and Ghana.
Authorities used video surveillance to capture the defendants conducting multiple transactions. The Bronx DA’s Office, working with Homeland Security Investigations and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, traced the stolen cars to outbound shipments headed for West Africa.
Five of the defendants were arrested on April 23. One was arraigned the same day and released on his own recognizance; four others are awaiting arraignment. Three individuals remain at large.
The defendants are:
- Mamadou Camara, 29, of Lafontain Avenue, Bronx
- Moussa Doumbia, 30, of Belmont Avenue, Bronx
- Arona Amadou, 35, of East 212th Street, Bronx
- Moubarak Djibril, 23, of Paulding Avenue, Bronx (not in custody)
- Mohamed Kamara, 26, of East 175th Street, Bronx (arraigned April 23)
- Mouslim Ouedaogo, 32, of Colgate Avenue, Bronx
- Mamadi Sidibe, 24, of West 137th Street, Manhattan (not in custody)
- Amadou Fofana, 35, of Washington Avenue, Bronx (not in custody)
Four of the men are named in a main indictment with charges including first-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property and fourth-degree Conspiracy. The other four are charged in separate indictments. Five of the Bronx defendants also face Racketeering charges in New Jersey related to the vehicle thefts.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch emphasized that the case demonstrates the scale of organized auto theft operations. ‘These are not low-level crimes; they are part of a multimillion-dollar black market that fuels violence and instability,’ Tisch said.
The investigation, which began in July 2024, is ongoing, and authorities say more arrests may follow.
