Overview
- Customs officers at Frankfurt Airport pulled a nearly new, crated Ferrari 849 Testarossa from freight clearance and seized it after finding irregularities in the export declaration.
- A check of the car’s vehicle identification number matched a police report that the car had been stolen in Belgium, leading officers to stop the shipment to Mexico.
- The Hauptzollamt Frankfurt valued the plug‑in hybrid at well over €500,000 and secured the vehicle as part of an ongoing probe rather than as a conviction.
- German authorities are examining whether anyone knowingly facilitated export of stolen property or falsified documents, while theft charges would involve Belgian jurisdiction for the original crime.
- The case highlights how customs document checks and VIN verification can block cross‑border trafficking of high‑value cars and raises questions about whether long wait lists for new models create demand for commissioned thefts.