Car Thief Exchange Program

Authorities allege a car thief has recently been caught running an "exchange program". The suspect was well groomed and spoke English fluently. He would visit BMW and Mercedes-Benz dealerships and leave a car and keys as collateral as he took one of theirs for a test drive.

However, what the dealers did not know is that the cars he left behind were also stolen; and the driver had no intention of returning the car after the "test drive".

The total value of the five stolen vehicles recovered by police was $190,000, detectives said.

The thefts began last May and went on for about six months until the suspect’s arrest in Toronto. He was arrested while driving an alleged stolen vehicle.