Feds: Muslim Used Car dealers in Detroit arrested in fake carjacking scheme that shipped stolen luxury cars to Iraq, similar scams run out of Tampa Fl.

DETROIT — For nearly two years, the federal government was hot on the trail of a Detroit-based crime ring accused of renting cars in the United States, driving them to Canada, reporting them stolen and shipping them to Iraq. The scheme — unraveled in an investigation dubbed Operation Hot Wheels — came to a screeching halt this week when federal agents arrested 13 suspects, 10 from the Detroit area and three from California.

According to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, the international rental car scam involved luxury sedans and SUVs valued anywhere from $25,000 to more than $60,000. The defendants legitimately rented the vehicles — including Dodge Journeys, Toyota Avalons, a Chevy Tahoe and an Infiniti — from national rental agencies in Michigan, Ohio and California, the indictment said.

HOW THE CAR SCAM WORKS....All of the Detroit stolen cars are shipped to Basra iraq and then into Baghdad or nearby for resale in local used car showrooms, usually the car titles are "washed" by sending them through Turkey, Dubai or Sharjah UAE, then into Iraq.

Very, very extensive network on both sides of the pond, basically it is a Hawala with stolen cars, huge profits, but you have Arab Mafia's of different religious backgrounds working together because of the unbelievable amount of cash the deals produce, support of terrorism, yeah sure, but first it is greed and big payoffs.

Arab Mafia in the USA that steals the cars and ships them to Iraq fronts the money for the deal, Arab Mafia in Iraq that receives the cars and sells the cars, kicks back cash to USA Arab Mafia, usually through the "Arab Bank".

Stolen late model BMW SUV that would sell for $40,000 in the USA, gets $65,000 and up in Iraq, everybody is cash in Iraq, no banks, not a stable economy in Iraq, who would not get in this racket?

The suspects drove the vehicles to Canada and reported them stolen or carjacked in Detroit, when in fact the vehicles were headed to Iraq, the indictment said. In five cases, the vehicles turned up on shipping containers at the Port of Montreal, headed for Iraq via Turkey, the indictment said. Some vehicles made it to Iraq, but authorities did not disclose how many. They also didn't say how many vehicles were involved or the estimated losses.

"Criminal groups often believe they are employing ingenious techniques to further their illicit activity," said Brian M. Moskowitz , special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. But, Moskowitz noted, the suspects left behind a "lengthy paper trail" that helped investigators expose the scheme.

According to the indictment, the mastermind was Adnan Hana, 57, of Sterling Heights, Mich. Export documents accompanying the vehicles in Montreal identified the exporter as Discount Auto Sales in Detroit, which is owned by Hana, the indictment said. Hana is free on bond and will be arraigned Tuesday. He could not be reached by the Detroit Free Press, and an attorney has not yet been assigned to his case. The indictment spells out how the suspects carried out the alleged scheme, which ran like clockwork as agents zeroed in on exactly when the stolen vehicles crossed the border.

For example, the indictment said, Jason Hana, 27, rented a 2009 Dodge Journey from Enterprise in Sterling Heights on July 9, 2008. The next day, at 11:47 a.m., Adnan Hana drove the Journey into Canada via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. One minute later, Jason Hana entered Canada via the tunnel in a separate car with a Michigan license plate, the indictment said. That vehicle returned to Detroit at 10:33 p.m. that day with Jason Hana and Adnan Hana inside, but the rental never returned from Canada. Jason Hana later filed a report with Detroit police claiming the Journey was stolen at roughly 7 p.m. July 28, the indictment said.

Three of suspects are from El Cajon CA. Sala Hanna, 57, and Samir Daly, 48, are charged in criminal complaints with transportation of stolen property in interstate and international commerce. Ramzi Yousef, 58, was arrested Wednesday and is charged in a criminal complaint with mail fraud for his role in the scheme. A Michigan man was also arrested in San Diego. Sabah Hermiz, 67, was involved in the scheme and has been indicted for transporting stolen property and conspiracy.

                                                Adnan Hana, 57, of Sterling Heights

Charged in the indictment are:

Adnan Hana, 57, of Sterling Heights

Jason Hana, 27, of Sterling Heights

Heather Hana, 29, of Sterling Heights

Nazar Quiryaqous, 46, of Sterling Heights

Sabah Hermiz, 57, of Sterling Heights

Danieal Korkis, 46, of Sterling Heights.

                                                        Wasem Aziz, 26, of Warren

Also charged in a criminal complaint – not the indictment – are five other metro Detroiters:

Wasem Aziz, 26, of Warren

Peter Barno, 28, of Sterling Heights

Joey Youkhanna, 24, of Sterling Heights

Nilton Asmar, 30, of Sterling Heights

Ghanim Hanna, 59, of Sterling Heights.

The defendants face charges including transportation of stolen property in interstate and international commerce and related conspiracy charges.

Bill Warner Sarasota Private Investigator Sarasota Fl at www.wbipi.com