In fiscal year 2025 alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted more than $6.5 million in stolen cars from the Port of Virginia.

On Thursday afternoon, 13News Now got an inside look at how they do it.

Agents are working every day to bust what officials are calling a very "lucrative" business: selling cars stolen from the U.S. overseas.

Thursday, agents swung open the doors of one shipping container that had been flagged. The manifest indicated it contained several cars, including a Lincoln from the 1990s. But an X-ray scan indicated the cars inside did not match it.

Inside, three cars, intended to be shipped to Ghana, were pulled from the container, and it was clear: they got a hit.

“After taking an X-ray of the container, we knew it wasn’t the cars that were manifested," said Customs and Border Protection Chief Officer James Askew.

Askew said the cars found in the container on Thursday are 2024 or even newer models, which fetch a high price overseas. Askew and his team estimated that more than $150,000 in stolen cars were recovered from that one container alone. 

“For West Africa, they’ll typically hang the vehicles, they’ll try to pack as many vehicles in there as possible, and typically you can only get about four in there," said Outbound Enforcement Team Supervisor Darius Hawkins. 

Hawkins said, while only up to four vehicles are typically seen in a container, depending on the cars, one container could bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit for criminal organizations. 

But who do they target? It turns out the answer is rental car facilities, or cars purchased through loans with fake names. By the time companies realize something is off, the car is long gone. 

“They're stolen from the dealership, rental cars that are not being returned, vehicles that are being purchased with fraudulent identification, and they’re being exported with a lien,” said Askew.

A profitable portfolio for crime syndicates means banks, dealerships, and rental companies see extreme losses.

Askew said that while they are cracking down, these operations are large in scale. One person may get arrested and held accountable, but a new one could pop up the next day. 

“It's a very lucrative business for these transnational organizations," said Askew.

Stolen cars seized at the Port of Virginia

As crime organization leaders get smarter with how they purchase and transport these stolen cars, the team at U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they are always ready.

“They’re going to change, and we track the changes, we identify the changes, and we adjust as they’re adjusting," said Hawkins.

Some team members called fighting the theft "an adrenaline rush."

“They love this stuff, they do it day in and day out. As you saw the excitement on their faces when these stolens came out, they love what they do," said Askew.

The Outbound Enforcement Team said they also often recover contraband, including guns, hidden in these cars.

The cars that were confirmed stolen on Thursday will be processed for seizure and then turned over to the state police for investigation.

Nationally, CBP has recovered more than 1,100 stolen vehicles in the 2025 fiscal year. The Port of Virginia ranks second only to New York in recovered stolen vehicles.