Stolen Ferrari & Range Rover being shipped to Dubai returned to Premier League superstars with over 100 international caps between them

Essex Police’s stolen vehicle intelligence unit (SVIU) has revealed that vehicles and parts worth more than £16 million ($20m) have been recovered in 2023. Among that haul sits a couple of expensive purchases from performers in the English top-flight.

The cars in question were not stolen in Essex, but have been discovered in shipping containers that were due to be transported to the Middle East from London Gateway Port in Thurrock. The players involved have not been named, but they are said to be established international performers.

On reuniting one of the sporting stars with his prized possession, PC Phile Pentelow of SVIU said: “He was genuinely thankful and taken aback by the lengths we had gone to. His car was clearly very dear to him, and he was very impressed with the service he’d had from the police. Even though he plays for one of my team’s biggest rivals, he was a nice guy and down to earth. It was good to help him.”

SVIU says that thieves look to steal cars and move them on quickly, for signifcangtly less than their market value, with the vehicles stripped for parts or shipped – either as a whole or in pieces – to the Middle East and Africa.