STANDARD
The Ferrari and Range Rover Sport belong to two players who have not been named, but have more than 100 international caps between them.
The vehicles were stolen in neighbouring counties but discovered in shipping containers due to be transported to Dubai from London Gateway Port in Thurrock, Essex Police’s stolen vehicle intelligence unit (SVIU) said.
In total, 517 vehicles or parts were recovered, with police saying thieves could have been hoping to be paid two or three times more than the UK value, once they sent were overseas.
One of the footballers came to the team’s base to be reunited with his car, with Pc Phil Pentelow, of SVIU, adding: “He was genuinely thankful and taken aback by the lengths we had gone to.
“His car was clearly very dear to him, and he was very impressed with the service he’d had from the police.
“Even though he plays for one of my team’s biggest rivals, he was a nice guy and down to earth. It was good to help him.”
SVIU said car thieves may also look to quickly sell on stolen vehicles – even for significantly under the market value – strip it for parts, or ship either the whole vehicle or parts to the Middle East and Africa.
Thieves or handlers of stolen vehicles may also use false or cloned identities to sell them on to unsuspecting members of the public in the UK. They can also be passed on to other criminals.
This summer, gangs behind such thefts were targeted in Operation Ignition, involving the SVIU, roads policing and investigators.
