Sydney’s underworld target common car brands to steal as ‘kill cars’

Sydney’s underworld have traditionally used luxury vehicles as their getaway vehicle of choice after gangland hits. But that’s now changed, it can be revealed.

Crime gangs are now targeting less valuable cars to use as getaway vehicles in an effort to blend into traffic and evade police detection after a kidnapping, drive-by shooting or gangland assassination.

Millions of dollars in “kill cars” are being stolen by criminals each month, but while high performance brands such as Mercedes and BMWs top the list, they are no longer the only cars wanted by crooks.

Thieves are now mixing in stealing common brands such as Toyota and Mazda in an effort to better blend in with traffic, in the latter stages of their escape from a crime.

NSW Police State Crime Command Director, Grant Taylor, said Mercedes is the brand most regularly being stolen, then BMW, Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen – but it is not only the luxury cars or wealthy suburbs that are being targeted by car thieves.

“Traditionally, high performance vehicles were normally being stolen from more affluent areas of Sydney,” Det Supt Taylor said.

Crime gangs are now targeting less valuable cars to use as getaway vehicles. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“But it’s expanded outside of just the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs, to those cars being stolen anywhere in Sydney.

“This year, by and large the most common vehicles stolen are Mercedes, followed by BMWs and Audis, and then it fluctuates, down through Porsche, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Mazda and Toyota.”

NSW Police State Crime Command Director, Grant Taylor, said Mercedes is the brand most regularly being stolen, then BMW – but that common brands like Toyota and Mazda are increasingly being taken. Picture NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“There’s also certainly a number of vehicles being stolen or utilised by organised crime that are very common and don’t stand out.

“Obviously picking common vehicles, often that are white in colour, traditional Toyota or Mazda sedans, means they do not stand out.”

It is the hours after a crime, not the minutes immediately following, that common vehicles come in handy.

In those initial moments after carrying out a killing or kidnapping, gangsters still want high-powered cars that can get them away from the crime scene fast and can take on police should a potential pursuit erupt.

Break-ins at homes across some of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, often by teenagers, have seen hundreds of high-powered vehicles stolen in recent years. Picture: Supplied

That was proved to be true after the killing of Alen Moradian at Bondi Junction earlier this year, where the car used to carry out and then escape the hit was a Porsche, but the second car, after the Porsche was set on fire, was a Holden Commodore.

Det Supt Taylor revealed a concerning trend emerging whereby crime gangs are targeting innocent people to store their “kill cars”, by leasing their private garages or car spots advertised in online classifieds such as Gumtree.

Those cars, like this Lexus, are then used to escape crimes such as the alleged murder of Salim and Toufik Hamze in 2021. Picture: Supplied

A Holden Commodore was the second car used by gunman to escape the scene of Alen Moradian’s murder at Bondi Junction. Picture: Zac McLean.

“We are seeing a number of these high-end vehicles being kept for some time off the street, for some months, before they are used,” Detective Superintendent Taylor said.

“We believe the cars are being stored in garages that are being rented from people on websites such as Gumtree.

“These are people who are subletting parking spaces because they don’t drive and therefore don’t utilise their garage.

“Anyone who has rented a garage or leased it for cash, and they have some concern or some suspicions around what may be in that garage, we’d be keen to hear from them.”

The deaths of Marvin Oraiha at Elizabeth Hills, Alen Moradian in Bondi Junction, Ahmad Al-Azzam at Greenacre and Ferenc Stemler at Canterbury, as well as the non-fatal shootings of William and Eric Siale at a Marrickville barber shop, two people in an industrial area and lawyer Mahmoud Abbas, in Greenacre, led to the creation of Taskforce Magnus in July.

GUNS AND JERRY CANS

In addition to several arrests and laying charges of murder, the Taskforce has taken more than 30 cars off the streets that were ready for underworld use – complete with a mix of guns, balaclavas and petrol-filled jerry cans inside.

It is understood that roughly 20 cars are being stolen each month across Sydney destined for crime clans.

While regular vehicles serve a purpose, Det Supt Taylor said the high-performance vehicles and SUVs are still the main target of thieves for two specific reasons.

Det Supt Taylor advised that cars are not left under carports, but rather in garages or on the street. Picture NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“By and large they provide the ability to get away from the police, with speed and power,” he said.

“And with the SUVs, they're going for them because they’re a good size car to get in and out of quickly, and can carry a large amount of people.”

When it comes to being a target for car thieves, there are some keys for homeowners about how to mitigate the risk.

In particular, not leaving luxury car brands such as Mercedes or BMWs parked in driveways, or under carports.

“My message to the public is that you are at higher risk of your vehicle being stolen if it’s parked in a driveway,” Det Supt Taylor said.

“They are looking at vehicles where the car is in the driveway, or the garage door is open, so it is clear that it correlates to that house.

“When it’s parked on the road, it's more difficult to determine what house that vehicle correlates to.

“It is also very important you go about checking all your doors and windows on the lower floors, even a dog door can be small for someone to get through.”