A group of seven men from Japan, Brazil, Fiji, and Afghanistan are accused of flying into the city in October and orchestrating the theft of 60 vehicles between October 20 and December 1.

Authorities claim the group had plans to ship these cars in containers to the United Arab Emirates, expecting to make a profit of approximately $9 million.

The alleged criminal activities came to light when two stolen Land Cruisers were discovered at a wrecking yard in Rocklea on December 2.

Police arrived on the scene around 2:30 a.m. and declared it a crime scene. Inside a shipping container, they found the vehicles hidden behind what appeared to be a façade of dismantled car parts.

While police have managed to recover 15 of the stolen Toyota vehicles, they believe the remaining cars have already been transported to the UAE.

The seven individuals, aged 28 to 45, now face charges totaling over 300 offenses.

South Brisbane District Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the men were all in Australia legally.

He alleged they stole the cars without keys and within minutes with a method only seen before in Victoria. 

“It’s brazen. I’ll use the word bespoke,” he said.

Brisbane Detective Acting Inspector Russell Joyce said it was unclear why the men were allegedly targeting Toyota cars in Brisbane.

Joyce also stressed that the companies that moved the shipped containers did so without knowledge of what was contained inside.

The inspectors were unable to say exactly how the seven men were connected and how their alleged operation came to be, but said investigations were ongoing. 

Of the seven men, a 29-year-old, 40-year-old, 44-year-old and 45-year-old were each charged with 60 counts of stealing a vehicle and six counts of attempted stealing of a vehicle.

A 28-year-old was charged with 17 counts of stealing a vehicle, and a 31-year-old was charged with 32 counts of stealing a vehicle.

They will all remain behind bars until they appear at the Brisbane Magistrates Court later this month.

Another 40-year-old was charged with two counts of stealing a vehicle and will face the same court later this month.

Police have assured the community that there is no ongoing threat to the community.