Eight men—most of them from the Bronx—have been charged in connection with a massive international auto theft ring that used a Longwood garage as a hub to fence high-end vehicles later shipped to West Africa, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced last week.
The charges follow a nine-month, multi-agency investigation dubbed “Operation High Rollers,” conducted in partnership with the NYPD Auto Crime Division and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors say the defendants stole and sold millions of dollars’ worth of luxury vehicles—including a $475,000 Rolls Royce—using a Jennings Street garage as a pseudo-showroom for illicit transactions.
“This case reflects how car theft today is a global enterprise,” said DA Clark. “We will not tolerate auto crime in the Bronx.”
The stolen vehicles—many of them taken from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut—were delivered to 870 Jennings St. in the Bronx, where buyers inspected and purchased the cars for cash. The vehicles were then transported to shipping containers in Elizabeth, NJ, and sent overseas to Gambia and Ghana, according to investigators.
Authorities say video surveillance captured the defendants conducting multiple transactions. The Bronx DA’s Office, working with Homeland Security Investigations and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ultimately traced the stolen cars to outbound shipments headed for West Africa.
Five of the defendants were arrested on April 23. One was arraigned the same day and released on his own recognizance; four others are awaiting arraignment. Three individuals remain at large.
The defendants are:
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Mamadou Camara, 29, of Lafontain Avenue, Bronx
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Moussa Doumbia, 30, of Belmont Avenue, Bronx
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Arona Amadou, 35, of East 212th Street, Bronx
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Moubarak Djibril, 23, of Paulding Avenue, Bronx (not in custody)
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Mohamed Kamara, 26, of East 175th Street, Bronx, (who was arraigned April 23)
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Mouslim Ouedaogo, 32, of Colgate Avenue, Bronx
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Mamadi Sidibe, 24, of West 137th Street, Manhattan (not in custody)
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Amadou Fofana, 35, of Washington Avenue, Bronx (not in custody)
Four of the men are named in a main indictment with four counts of first-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, 131 counts of second- and third-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, and fourth-degree Conspiracy. The other four are charged in separate indictments.
Five of the Bronx defendants are also facing Racketeering charges in New Jersey in connection to the vehicle thefts.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said the case demonstrates the scale of organized auto theft operations.
“These are not low-level crimes; they are part of a multimillion-dollar black market that fuels violence and instability,” said Tisch. “Thanks to the extraordinary work of NYPD Auto Crime Division detectives, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, and our partners in New Jersey, this criminal network has been dismantled.”
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin added that many thefts involved break-ins to steal key fobs—escalating the risk to residents.
“To combat organized auto theft rings, we need to be able to reach across jurisdictions and state lines,” Platkin said.
The investigation began in July 2024. Authorities say more arrests may follow as the case continues.
