Wanderlust Ghana suspends cross-country expedition over discovery of stolen vehicles

Wanderlust Ghana Expedition Club has announced the suspension of its 30,000-kilometer Cross-Country Overland Expedition due to a stolen vehicle claim.

According to the group, while entering the Republic of Congo, they were alerted that two of their vehicles, a 2016 Lexus RX 350 and a 2018 Toyota Tacoma were reported stolen in Canada in 2019 and 2022 respectively.

The vehicles have since been handed over to security authorities in the Republic of The Congo as investigations are underway.

Law enforcement agencies in Canada and Ghana have been notified, while the expedition’s third vehicle, a Ford F150 Raptor, has been shipped back to Ghana from Pointe-Noire, Congo.

In a statement, the group revealed that the vehicles had been purchased in Accra, Ghana, from local car dealers.

“It is worth noting that the two vehicles were purchased by the participating team members from car dealers in Accra, Ghana, after conducting thorough due diligence to the best of our abilities, including paid Carfax verifications, which all returned clean results at the time of purchase.

“Wanderlust Ghana is committed to fully cooperating with the ongoing investigative processes, as it is our firm belief that all individuals or entities found culpable must be brought to book. In addition, our legal team has been instructed to initiate civil actions in our law courts against the sellers of the vehicles,” part of the statement said.

They explained that due diligence, including paid Carfax verification reports, was conducted before purchase, and no red flags were raised at the time.

“This unfortunate situation highlights the critical issue of stolen vehicles from North America being sold in Ghana’s open market to unsuspecting buyers,” the group stated.