Md. Raids a Part Of International Car Theft Bust

Hearing no answer, officers in flak jackets slipped past a shiny black 2005 Nissan Maxima parked in the driveway. They pried open the home's garage door, entering with their guns drawn. An officer at the scene said they expected to spend several hours collecting evidence.

Investigators also raided a commercial lot and an unknown location in Howard County.

Investigators are reluctant to estimate how long the ring operated or how many luxury cars allegedly passed through Asare's network to ports in Africa. But Nuel said 72 stolen vehicles worth about $2.7 million were recovered by police in New Jersey last week -- including several stolen from Maryland. Investigators believe, however, that that number represents only a fraction of the car ring's actual take.

"The [car] fencing operation is becoming a huge issue in the African countries," said Greg Terp, commander of the Miami-Dade police auto-theft unit. "It's a lucrative business. And, according to some of the information we've learned, you have a number of people in the various governments there driving BMWs and Mercedes that are stolen and shipped out of the Port of Elizabeth and Newark."

Investigators believe Asare traveled with at least two other men from the Washington area to West Africa on errands for the ring, the law enforcement source said. One of the men, Vincent Robinson, is allegedly linked to the theft of more than 30 brand-new, high-end vehicles from dealerships in Fairfax, Montgomery and Baltimore counties, the source said.

Fairfax Detective John Carney declined to discuss details of Robinson's case or his possible connections to the ring. But he confirmed that Robinson allegedly gained access to keys to the cars after he was hired at several local dealerships, including at least one in Fairfax. Police there took Robinson into custody June 1 on charges of auto theft, Carney said.

On Friday, authorities also arrested Macki Tall of Gaithersburg at Dulles International Airport after he returned from Switzerland. Like Asare, Tall, 27, allegedly used connections in Africa to arrange the shipment and sale of stolen cars, Nuel said. Tall is believed to have purchased many of the stolen vehicles in East Orange, N.J.

Nuel said more arrests are expected in the Washington area and elsewhere.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.