Customs agents in Baltimore intercepted a stolen bulldozer bound for Ghana, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Wednesday.

During a routine check at the Port of Baltimore on September 3, officers examined the 2015 Caterpillar D8T Dozer, which was valued at $237,000.

They said the vehicle identification number matched an active theft report from Carroll County, Maryland.

CBP contacted the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, which confirmed the bulldozer was still listed as stolen. Officers seized the machine before it could leave the country.

Stolen vehicles turning up at the Port of Baltimore

Intercepting stolen vehicles at the Port of Baltimore is not an uncommon occurrence. CBP told WJZ that dozens of stolen vehicles are recovered from shipments meant to go overseas. Most of the stolen vehicles are destined for West Africa, because there are several direct routes from Baltimore to those countries.

Nationally, CBP recovered 1,445 stolen vehicle exports, about a 9% increase over the 1,316 stolen vehicle exports that CBP officers recovered in 2023.

Despite the national increase, local stolen vehicle exports dropped. Agents at CBP Baltimore recovered 250 stolen vehicle exports in 2024, a 27% decrease from 2023. Collectively, the recovered vehicles were valued at $9.6 million.

In 2023, WJZ got a look at the warehouse in Sparrow's Point where agents inspect cargo before it heads to shipping.

CBP's Baltimore Field Office covers 11 ports, spanning from Trenton, New Jersey, to the Virginia-North Carolina line.