Tracker devices were placed on luxury cars in the UK by a gang of thieves, a court has heard.
The criminals staked out airport car parks and fitted cars with sophisticated cloning devices which can replicate “contactless” keys.
They hid GPS tracking devices inside the car bodywork, connecting them to the vehicle's electric circuits.
After the owners drove home from the airport, the gang could track the vehicle and arrange its theft some time later.
The group which is currently on trial frequently used Stress-Free Parking, a valet parking operation at Luton Airport.
The gang also managed to cause minor damage to targeted vehicles and then recommended a repairer who could make a cloned copy of the vehicle’s key, the jury was told.
Some of the stolen vehicles are believed to have been taken to Antwerp before being shipped elsewhere, primarily to East Africa.
This group was apprehended by undercover police who used a Trojan car which needed bodyshop work and into which a secret recording device had been fitted.
