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Russian criminals blamed for thefts of UK luxury supercars worth millions in past two years
Among them are a 217.5mph £380,000 Lamborghini Aventador S and a £348,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn
RUSSIAN criminals are blamed for the thefts of luxury supercars worth millions of pounds in the UK in the past two years.
Many are feared to have been exported to Moscow after demand soared amid sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
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Among them are a 217.5mph £380,000 Lamborghini Aventador S and a £348,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn.
Stuart Masson, founder of website The Car Expert, told The Sun: “It’s believed that most of these cars end up in Russian hands.
“There’s always been a high demand for stolen luxury cars in Russia, but this has been increasing over the last couple of years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of Western sanctions.
“Unsurprisingly, there is little co-operation from Russian authorities in investigating these crimes or trying to deter them from happening.”
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Requests to police forces under freedom of information rules found that in Essex alone, 40 Rolls- Royces, Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis were nicked but just half were recovered.
One was a rare Aston Martin V8 Volante Auto, similar to a custom spec model the King owned.
Cops returned the car, which can fetch up to £300,000, to its owner.
The force’s stolen vehicle intelligence unit has recovered or identified more than 1,800 stolen vehicles worth £58.5million.
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It said: “We’ll continue to dismantle the organised criminal networks behind these thefts through enhanced intelligence.”
In Hertfordshire, 18 Bentleys were stolen and just four were recovered.
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But James Hallam Insurance Brokers says high-end Range Rover Sports are nicked the most — with one insurer reporting 11 a month.
Jaguar Land Rover insisted new models are proving resilient to theft, with 0.3 per cent of new Range Rover Sports stolen since January 2022.