DVLA impounds 85 illegally imported vehicles through clone detection system

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has impounded 85 illegally imported vehicles following the introduction of its vehicle clone detection system in May 2026.

The Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, said the system has helped identify vehicles that were registered using fraudulent chassis numbers belonging to legally imported and registered vehicles.

According to him, vehicle cloning involves the illegal use of a genuine vehicle’s chassis number to register another vehicle, often one that was imported into the country without following the required procedures.

He disclosed that most of the impounded vehicles, which include saloon cars and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), originated from Togo.

The vehicles have been handed over to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to enable owners to pay the required import duties before they can be legally registered.

Mr Kotey made the disclosure during a media engagement on the rollout of the DVLA’s new chip-embedded number plates for various categories of vehicles, including motorcycles and tricycles.

He explained that the authority has, for the past month, been using clone detection devices to screen vehicles presented for registration before approving their documentation.

“For about a month now, when we began checking the clone aspect of vehicles through a device before registration, we have been able to impound about 80 vehicles. They are handed over to Customs, where owners pay the required duties before returning for registration,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DVLA’s Director of Inspection and Registration, Kwasi Bona Otuo Srebour, has raised concerns over the misuse of Defective Vehicle (DV) number plates by some motorists.

He explained that DV plates are intended only for transporting unregistered vehicles, test driving and moving vehicles to garages for repairs, but some drivers have been using them for regular commuting, contrary to the Road Traffic Regulations.

Mr Srebour urged owners of vehicles registered before 2023 to complete the required onboarding process, including vehicle inspection, document verification, Ghana Card authentication and the issuance of certificates of title and registration cards.

Prince Antwi

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