Wanderlust Ghana Expedition Club has announced the suspension of its ambitious 30,000-kilometer Cross-Country Overland Expedition after two of the expedition’s vehicles were found to be stolen.
While entering the Republic of the Congo, it was discovered that a 2016 Lexus RX 350 and a 2018 Toyota Tacoma had been reported stolen in Canada in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
The vehicles were seized by security officials in the Congo as part of ongoing investigations, with Canadian and Ghanaian law enforcement agencies being informed. The third vehicle in the convoy, a Ford F150 Raptor, has been returned to Ghana from Pointe-Noir, Congo.
The vehicles were originally purchased from car dealers in Accra after thorough due diligence, including paid Carfax verifications, which at the time, showed no discrepancies.
Wanderlust Ghana has expressed its commitment to cooperating fully with the investigation and has vowed to take legal action against the sellers of the stolen vehicles.
This incident has highlighted the issue of stolen vehicles from North America being sold in Ghana’s open market. As a result, Wanderlust Ghana plans to collaborate with U.S. and Canadian diplomatic missions in Ghana to raise awareness about this problem and educate the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen vehicles.
Despite this setback, Wanderlust Ghana remains proud of the journey so far, having travelled 28,811 kilometres through 28 countries across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, promoting Ghana’s tourism potential. The team plans to acquire new vehicles to resume the expedition and continue their future travels.
Below is the full post by the Wanderlust team
WANDERLUST GHANA SUSPENDS 30,000km CROSS-COUNTRY OVERLAND EXPEDITION
Wanderlust Ghana Expedition Club regretfully announces the suspension of its 30,000-kilometer Cross-Country Overland Expedition 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.
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.
Wanderlust Ghana is committed to fully cooperating with the ongoing investigative processes, as it is our firm belief that all individuals or entities found culpable must be brought to book. In addition, our legal team has been instructed 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.
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.
Meanwhile, we recall with glee the wonderful memories that have been formed over the past two months as we progressed on this breath-taking expedition, which has seen the team cover 28,811 kilometres, passing through twenty-eight (28) countries, spanning Africa, Europe and the Middle East, whilst selling Ghana’s tourism potential in the process.
Wanderlust Ghana extends heartfelt gratitude to all its partners and the public, whose exceptional support has been instrumental in the execution of the expedition. We also wish to express our appreciation for the warm reception and assistance provided to the team by Ghanaian diplomatic missions, consulates, and diaspora communities encountered along the route.
The team is currently working on acquiring a new set of vehicles to complete this expedition and the same to be used in future expeditions. We look forward to undertaking a lot more exciting expeditions soon.
“THE JOURNEY STILL REMAINS THE DESTINATION”.
