More than 40% of car thefts in Europe occur on the Costa del Sol according to a recent meeting of the National Police in Fuengirola. Spain is known as the gateway for trafficking of stolen cars into Africa and is considered one of the most important car showrooms in the world.It is planned that in a couple of years, all cars will be computerised and there will be a databank of information enabling all stolen cars to be located, worldwide and then returned to its rightful owner. The scheme will not however include Morocco, for they have a law that states that if a vehicle is brought into the country with illegal paperwork then it cannot be granted an exit visa. The only way that this could be rectified would be by an amendment to the Moroccan custom laws, which may never happen.
In Spain it is often international crime rings that organise the vehicle trafficking as the profit to be made is so huge. The most sought-after models include 4 wheel drives such as Mitsubishi, Mercedez, Range Rover and Jeeps which are most useful in countries where there is a lot of snow or desert. The route for stolen vehicles is usually via the ports of Almeria, Algeciras or Cadiz.With the abolition of European borders, the problem is getting out of hand.