Wanderlust Ghana has announced the “the suspension of its 30,000-kilometer Cross-Country Overland Expedition”.

The decision, according to a Thursday, November 28, 2024, statement by the group, came “after it came to the group’s attention, whilst entering the Republic of The Congo, that two of the vehicles involved in the expedition, a 2016 Lexus RX 350 and a 2018 Toyota Tacoma, had been reported stolen in Canada in 2019 and 2022 respectively”.

“The two vehicles have been handed over to security officials in the Republic of The Congo as part of ongoing investigations, whilst law enforcement agencies in Canada and Ghana have been duly notified. The remaining vehicle, A Ford F150 Raptor, has been shipped to Ghana from Pointe-Noir, Congo,” Wanderlust revealed.

The popular group clarified: “It is worth noting that the two vehicles were purchased by the participating team members from car dealers in Accra, Ghana, after conducting thorough due diligence to the best of our abilities, including paid Carfax verifications, which all returned clean results at the time of purchase.”

On the way forward, Wanderlust said it had “instructed” their “legal team to initiate civil actions in our law courts against the sellers of the vehicles”.

“This unfortunate situation has brought to light the significant issue of stolen vehicles from North America being sold in Ghana’s open market to unsuspecting buyers,” the car and travel enthusiasts said.

They revealed, “To address this, Wanderlust Ghana plans to collaborate with the diplomatic missions of the United States of America and Canada in Ghana to launch a campaign aimed at curbing the influx of stolen vehicles into the country. Additionally, the initiative will focus on educating the public on ways to minimise the risk of purchasing stolen vehicles shipped to Ghana.”

Read the entire statement here.