Exclusive: Shocking items found in recovered stolen vehicles amid Qld crime crisis

From Guy Fawkes masks to crossbows and drug paraphernalia to deadly traps, safety inspectors have revealed what they are finding in recovered stolen cars. SEE THE VIDEO

From Guy Fawkes masks to crossbows, safety inspectors have revealed what they are finding in recovered stolen vehicles, giving an insight into how Queensland’s criminal underworld operate.

Vehicle safety inspectors are concerned with the regularity they are finding and removing dangerous and hazardous materials from recovered stolen vehicles in Queensland.

The theft of motor vehicles is an unfortunate hallmark of Queensland’s crime crisis, with 19,984 unlawful use of motor vehicle offences recorded over the last financial year.

Vehicles owned by families being stolen and used in horrific crimes like robberies, as well as by drug dealers to push their stock.

Vehicle theft has also been glorified among young offenders with dedicated social media pages emerging online featuring footage of perpetrators stealing sport cars, driving recklessly, and taunting police.

It has contributed to a surge of safety inspections being carried out on recovered stolen vehicles by leading vehicle hazard assessment and removal organisation Sharps Australia.

Sharps Australia chief operating officer Mark Friske and Sharps vehicle safety inspector Mike M clear out a stolen vehicle. Picture: David Clark

Established in 1999, Sharps Australia have been conducting vehicle inspections for over 20 years, with a strong record of protecting the public from tainted vehicles.

As part of their role, safety inspectors will check the vehicle over, conduct a rapid methamphetamine test, organise post-lab tests, and co-ordinate for the vehicles to be sanitised before being returned to their owners.

Sharps Australia inspectors conduct upwards of 70 vehicle safety checks per day across the country, with 42 per cent of vehicles inspected containing drugs and drug-related paraphernalia, 37 per cent containing sharp items, and 21 per cent containing hypodermic needles.

Dangerous items and hazardous materials removed from a recovered stolen Nissan Patrol.

Recent inspections carried out on a stolen 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 and a stolen 2020 Nissan Patrol wagon highlight what is commonly ending up in vehicles during the ongoing crime crisis.

A stolen 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe that was inspected contained numerous dangerous and hazardous items including knives, scissors, needles, and what was alleged to be a quantity of crystal methamphetamine.

The owner of the Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe Jacky Zhang told The Courier-Mail he was shocked to see what had ended up in his car after it was stolen from an Upper Mount Gravatt address.

“My car was stolen from my friend’s house while I was staying there for just one night,” he said.

“After my car was found, I went to pick it up from the yard and I saw the needles, all the knives in it.

“It’s just shocking, I felt afraid.”

After being alerted to the present dangers in his recovered stolen Mercedes-Benz by staff at the towing yard, Mr Zhang made the decision to have a vehicle hazard assessment conducted.

“The staff suggested to me to get a safety check done,” he said.

“I think this was important for my safety, but it is also important for public safety.”

Mr Zhang now faces a costly repair bill or losing his car that he had only owned for three months.

“I’ve read stories and seen videos online about stolen vehicles, but I didn’t think it would actually happen to me,” he said.

“It’s disgusting what happened, I feel angry.

“If these kind of people harm citizen’s safety and don’t get punishment, this kind of stuff is going to keep happening.

“I don’t care about money, I just want justice.”

A 2020 Nissan Patrol wagon being combed over by Sharps Australia vehicle safety inspectors. Picture: David Clark

Meanwhile, the 2020 Nissan Patrol wagon was full of hazards such as knives, break-in tools, break-in weapons, and contaminated items again with needles, while the vehicle itself returned a positive methamphetamine test.

Sharps Australia vehicle safety inspector Mike M told The Courier-Mail he regularly finds dangerous and hazardous material when conducting checks.

“My role is to go through the vehicle visually and with our safety tools look for hazards and to remove them,” he said.

“Dangerous weapons and hazards such as knives, hammers, and bolt cutters, drugs like crack, cocaine, ecstasy, and drug paraphernalia like crack pipes, bongs, needles, and syringes are highly common.

“We find giant axes, all sorts of gardening equipment near the front seats of the vehicles and then we realise that they’re not landscaping.

“We find knives strategically placed down either side of the seat, knives that are cable tied to the side of seats ready to be quickly pulled out.

“I’ve found needles in the seals around the doors.

“You see some really messed up s##t.”

Sharps Australia vehicle safety inspector Mike M clears out a stolen vehicle. Picture: David Clark

Occasionally, Mr M has uncovered more unusual items located during his inspections.

“I’ve found a full compound competition crossbow,” he said.

“I’ve found suitcases that I’ve opened up and there’s all sorts of fanciful costumes of varying sizes and then in the next bag I find lots and lots of adult toys.

“I’ve found pills that were done from a backyard press, padlocks in two pieces, all sorts of things.”

Dangerous items and hazardous materials removed from a recovered stolen 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe.

Mr M said he has also conducted safety inspections on work machinery, as well as high-end luxury vehicles.

“I have checked over bulldozers and tractors that have been stolen from work sites, that’s always interesting,” he said.

“We’ve done a lot of heavy rigid trucks and semi trailer cabs.

“In terms of luxury cars, I’ve found a crack pipe in a Maserati, we’ve had a brand new Bentley that had been crashed, I’ve looked at numerous Porsches.

“We regularly inspect vehicles like Mercedes and BMWs.”

Mr M places great importance on the safety inspections that he carries out, with some vehicles returned to families.

“I consider the car to be done when I’m happy to say that Mary Jane and Peter in the back seat can crawl across the car again,” he said.

“You don’t want to find out that a tablet was down the corner of a seat edge or behind the seat buckle and that Mary or Peter in the back has popped it into their mouth thinking they got a lovely little mint tic tac and they haven’t.

“It is really scary when you think about a child or an infant finding something like that.

“If our work wasn’t being done, there’d be a lot of nasties going around and we would have another story about kids and families getting done over with all the nasties of the world.”

A syringe and knife in the back seat of a recovered stolen Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe.

Sharps Australia chief operating officer Mark Friske told The Courier-Mail the safety of those affected by crime is of paramount importance.

“Sharps Australia plays a crucial role in ensuring the safe return of recovered stolen vehicles by inspecting and decommissioning dangerous goods found in them,” Mr Friske said.

“More and more insurers have become aware of the hazards either by claims or complaints of the public receiving their recovered stolen vehicle back with items left by the perpetrator be it drugs, needles, just seriously concerning paraphernalia.

“We come after the police in the process who do a great job and we form part of the frontline in making these vehicles safe.”

This knife was found inside a recovered stolen 2020 Nissan Patrol. Picture: David Clark

Mr Friske added that over the years, vehicle inspections have revealed a number of concerning trends.

“The rise in methamphetamine use we’ve found scary and significant to us,” he said.

“We are coming into contact with a lot of stories of the youth being spurred on by awful perpetrators online encouraging them in social media challenges to go and steal different vehicles.

“We see class theft, where they try and steal every model of the same class or version of vehicle and get themselves a photo for notoriety online.”

Dangerous items like a knife and drug utensils were found inside a recovered stolen Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe.

Mr Friske said inspectors often find dangerous items in obscure places when performing inspections.

“As you’d imagine these perpetrators using methamphetamine, they do get quite creative in finding places to hide drugs,” he said.

“We’ve found needles under seats pointing upwards ready for someone to sit down and get a prick in the bum, knives under seats.

“I’ve found myself a hunting knife under a seat strapped to an electronic control unit pointing forward so that when the occupant hops in and pulls the rail to move the seat back they get a knife through their hand.

“We don’t stand around with a clipboard and pen looking at the vehicle, we complete a full and thorough investigation and inspection of the vehicle, removing every single item from the vehicle and inspecting it thoroughly to make sure there are no hidden nasties.”