Lexus RX Helps Uncover Ugandan Fleet of Stolen British Cars

By adpock - September 23, 2015

stolen lexus rx

As the years go by, we find more and more versatile uses for the Lexus RX, but now we can finally add detective work to the list.

According to a BT.com story, an RX 450h stolen from London, which was fitted with a tracking device, led officers 6,000 miles across the planet to Uganda. But authorities didn’t just find the Lexus when they arrived, they also found 28 other “posh” cars that had also been “nicked” (which is apparently a bloody-good way of saying “stolen”).

All in all, the fleet — made up mostly of Range Rovers, BMWs, Audis, and “other prestige makes” — is estimated to be worth at least a million pounds. Reportedly, all the cars were jacked from the U.K. by a “car-smuggling gang.”

Since most of the cars are equipped with keyless ignitions, officers believe the gang reprogrammed the FOBs to be able to take control of the cars. It’s a growing problem in London, apparently.

Using a smartphone app, anti-fraud investigators, APU Ltd., were able to track the Lexus’s movements. From way back when it was stolen in April, the car moved from London, to Le Havre, France, across the Mediterranean, through the Suez, Canal to Oman, then shipped to Mombasa, Kenya, and finally to Kampala, Uganda, where they drive on the wrong side of the road, like the Brits.

While APU Ltd. is getting a lot of glory for the bust, hopefully, the folks in Scotland Yard will have the good sense to also commend the RX. But, hey, it’s all in a day’s work for the trusty RX.