A Caterpillar D8T dozer stolen in Maryland would have been on its way to Africa, if customs officers in Baltimore had not checked its serial number.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Baltimore Port were conducting a routine export examination of the 2015 Cat D8T on September 3 when they discovered that the serial number matched that of a stolen dozer from Carroll County, Maryland. The D8, valued at $237,000, was headed to Accra, Ghana, in West Africa.
“CBP officers contacted the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and confirmed that the theft report remained active,” the agency said. “Officers seized the dozer.”
The dozer was a bit unusual for the Baltimore CBP to find, but West Africa is a popular destination for cars and SUVs stolen in the U.S. The agency reports that in 2024 about 60% of the 250 stolen vehicles recovered at the Baltimore Field Office were destined for West African nations, with 28 of those slated for Ghana. The largest intended destination was Nigeria, at 70 stolen vehicles recovered.
Nationwide, CBP saw a 10% increase in the number of stolen-vehicle export recoveries in 2024. The Baltimore Field Office, which covers an area from Trenton, New Jersey to Virginia, ranked second in the nation for the number of stolen vehicles recovered in 2024. The Port of New York and Newark led the nation with 368 vehicles recovered.
“Customs and Border Protection officers continue to combat transnational criminal organizations by interrupting the international trade in stolen vehicles at our seaports,” said Jason Kropiewnicki, CBP’s acting area port director in Baltimore. “We will continue to secure our nation’s borders, recover stolen vehicle exports and work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to hold these criminal organizations accountable.”
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