BY Daniel Bampoe
A major international car theft syndicate with links to Ghana has been dismantled following a year-long investigation by U.S. law enforcement agencies, culminating in a 15-count indictment unsealed in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, six individuals have been charged for their alleged roles in a coordinated criminal network that stole vehicles across multiple U.S. states and trafficked them for resale both locally and internationally, including to buyers in Ghana.
The suspects — identified as Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland — are accused of participating in a conspiracy that targeted at least 20 vehicles in the Washington metropolitan area and Pennsylvania. Authorities say one additional suspect remains at large, with details of that individual still under seal.
Investigators believe the network may be linked to a much broader operation involving the theft of over 100 vehicles in Washington, D.C., and more than 30 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, suggesting an expansive and highly organized criminal enterprise.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Police Department, disclosed that the syndicate employed sophisticated methods to steal vehicles. These included the use of electronic devices capable of reprogramming vehicles to accept blank key fobs, effectively bypassing modern security systems.
The stolen vehicles — primarily newer models such as Honda Civics, Honda CRVs, Acura TLXs, and Acura RDXs — were allegedly transported to various storage locations, including a parking facility in Southeast Washington, D.C. At these sites, suspects reportedly altered the vehicles’ identities by swapping license plates and tampering with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) to evade detection.
Authorities further revealed that the group disabled GPS tracking and Bluetooth systems in the vehicles before transporting them, making recovery more difficult.
Some of the vehicles were then shipped overseas, with Ghana identified as one of the destinations for resale.
As part of ongoing operations, officers executed a search warrant at a suspected linked automobile storage facility in Decatur, Georgia, as investigations continue to uncover the full scope of the syndicate’s activities.
All six accused individuals face charges of conspiracy to possess, transport, and sell stolen motor vehicles. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, alongside federal and local law enforcement agencies, are leading the case.
Officials emphasized that the charges remain allegations at this stage, noting that under U.S. law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
