Wanderlust Ghana halts Accra-Cape Town expedition after interpol flags two cars as stolen

The Wanderlust Ghana Expedition Club has announced the suspension of its ambitious 30,000-kilometre Cross-Country Overland Expedition following claims that two of its vehicles were reported stolen in Canada.

According to the group, they were alerted to the issue while entering the Republic of Congo. The vehicles in question—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 Congo, where investigations are currently underway.

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

In a statement, the group disclosed that the vehicles had been purchased locally in Accra, Ghana, from 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, the statement read.

The group emphasised its commitment to cooperating with the ongoing investigations, stressing that anyone found culpable must face justice.

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, the statement added.

The club explained that thorough checks, including paid Carfax verification reports, were carried out before the purchases, with no red flags raised at the time.

They further noted, This unfortunate situation highlights the critical issue of stolen vehicles from North America being sold in Ghana’s open market to unsuspecting buyers.

The suspension of the expedition comes as a significant setback for the group, which had embarked on the journey with the goal of traversing multiple countries and covering an impressive 30,000 kilometres.

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