By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FOUR people are expected to be charged before the courts today for their alleged involvement in a countrywide car theft ring, authorities have confirmed.

The main suspect who is believed to have been the mastermind behind the scam, said officials, is a Jamaican who lives in New Providence. The remaining suspects, including one woman, lives in Exuma.

Assistant Commissioner of Crime Anthony Ferguson told The Tribune yesterday that officials had already identified the owners of several of the stolen vehicles, however he could not say how many. He added that when formal charges were brought against the group, officials would work on having the vehicles brought to Nassau for identification.

The suspects were arrested recently after 20 cars, all of which are Honda models, were taken into police custody at Exuma. Authorities believe they were stolen from New Providence.

Because the vehicles were legally licensed by the Road Traffic Department before being sold, police are not only investigating that agency but they have launched a probe into insurance and car rental companies.

According to recent crime numbers, from January 1, 2013 to July 16, 2013, 605 cars were stolen on New Providence.

Police yesterday continued to advise against accepting “deals” from persons purporting to be legitimate business persons.

Their advice is to be careful of answering newspaper ads and buying vehicles, to always check the veracity of the sources as a buyer could be purchasing stolen goods and also to call the police if someone approaches you with a deal ‘too good to be true.’

Earlier this year, a hotel worker on Paradise Island was among 14 people arrested after police cracked a car theft ring in New Providence and in 2011 a multinational investigation began into a car smuggling ring involving the sale and importation of high end vehicles.