Four Arrested, Including Ugandan and Nigerian Nationals, Over Suspected Theft and Smuggling of More Than 300 Stolen Toyota HiAce Vans
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
On February 4, 2026, a joint investigation headquarters made up of the prefectural police of Kanagawa, Ibaraki, Chiba, and Saitama arrested four men, including Ugandan national Robert Katumba and Nigerian national Benjamin Obiwane Anoka, on suspicion of receiving more than 300 stolen Toyota HiAce vans and other vehicles at a scrapyard in Ibaraki Prefecture while knowing them to be stolen, and smuggling them overseas.
The stolen vehicles are believed to have been gathered at the scrapyard before being exported overseas, revealing the reality of an organized crime operation in which a vehicle theft ring maintained smuggling routes abroad. Current status: The case is at the arrest stage, and whether prosecutors will file charges had not been determined as of this writing.
Smuggling stolen vehicles overseas is said to make them harder to trace than selling them domestically, and they tend to fetch higher prices, with schemes involving hiding vehicles in shipping containers for export having been uncovered repeatedly. Toyota HiAce vans and Land Cruisers are said to be in high demand as used vehicles overseas, making them frequent targets of theft.
A similar vehicle theft case involved the theft of a Land Cruiser in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture (related coverage), pointing to an underlying reality in which vehicle theft abusing electronic unlocking technology is being carried out in an organized manner.