A British influencer and off-road racing fanatic has been reunited with his stolen £220,000 (9.7 million baht) Lamborghini – eight years after it was stolen by a sophisticated international car-smuggling gang and shipped to Thailand.
Mark McCann snapped up the bright green Lamborghini Huracan Spyder back in 2016 as part of a high-end car rental venture. Charging punters £800 (35,000 baht) a day with a strict 100-mile limit, he and business partner Mo hoped the flashy supercar would pay for itself in no time.
And it almost did, until the pair fell victim to a brazen steal-to-order ring run by a Bangkok-based crime boss who used fake buyers and dodgy finance deals to snatch luxury cars off British forecourts before spiriting them out of the country.
The alleged ringleader, Intarasak Techaterasiri, known on the street as “Boy Unity,” had a network of UK middlemen who bought or rented posh motors, only to ship them straight to Asia where they were flogged at inflated prices.
His operation raked in a staggering £6.5 million (286 million baht), with 35 vehicles stolen across 2016 and 2017, including Range Rovers, G-Wagons, Porsches, and, of course, the British man’s beloved Lambo.
McCann’s troubles began when a seemingly legit client called up and asked to rent the Huracan for an entire month. But after dropping the keys off, the 51 year old noticed something odd, the car didn’t move. It sat parked at Heathrow Airport for days.
With no proper explanation from the customer, McCann and Mo drove to Heathrow to confront him, but the car had vanished. Desperate, they contacted another tracker firm, who delivered a gut-punch.
“It’s not in London… it’s in Thailand.”
The pair quickly learned that the car had been lifted as part of a massive fraud operation based in West London. The crooks would pose as buyers, pass all the dealership checks, then default on finance and vanish, with the car already on a plane out of the country.
Despite reporting the theft to the Met Police, the car enthusiast was told there was little they could do, as the car was now outside their jurisdiction. Even Interpol initially struggled to act.
But McCann wasn’t giving up that easily. He sent two trusted employees on a mission to Bangkok. Astonishingly, they tracked the car down to a local dealership forecourt, where it was up for sale. Armed with a spare key, they unlocked the Lambo on the spot, proving it was McCann’s vehicle.
That’s when things turned nasty. Though Thai police were present, the man linked to the vehicle reportedly demanded the key back, and the police suddenly ordered the Brits to leave “for their own safety.”
One of the men claimed officers warned them not to return, saying the dealer would “put a price on their heads.”
With no choice, the team left empty-handed. But McCann’s persistence finally paid off when the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) picked up the case, triggering a mammoth international operation involving UK police, Thai officials, and Interpol.
Nine locations were raided in Bangkok, with over 30 stolen supercars recovered and prepped for shipment back to Britain. Among them were several Lamborghinis, Nissan GT-Rs, Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, and even a Ford Mustang.
The UK gang members were rounded up, with four arrested, though later released without charge. Meanwhile, Boy Unity was arrested in Bangkok back in 2017 for dodging import taxes but fled while on bail. He was finally rearrested in 2022 and is now awaiting trial, The Daily Mail reported.
Thirteen others in Thailand have been arrested and charged over the scam.
As for McCann, he was overjoyed when his Lambo finally made the long trip back. He shared the emotional reunion with fans on YouTube.
“Oh my god, it looks better than when it got nicked.”
The car had undergone a transformation while abroad, featuring custom bodywork, new wheels and a spoiler. But despite the upgrades, the car’s value had plummeted to around £80,000 (3.5 million baht).
Still, it was a symbolic victory in a story that had taken him around the world in search of justice and his car.
Sharon Naughton of NaVCIS said the case highlights how modern thieves are exploiting finance loopholes to steal high-value vehicles.
“They walk into dealerships, sign the papers, and drive off but they never plan to pay a penny.”
Duncan Burrage, the UK’s liaison officer in Thailand, praised the “years-long” collaboration.
“This case proves that even across continents, we will work together to get stolen assets home and bring criminals to justice.”
It may have taken eight years, but McCann finally got his motor back – and proved that even when the road gets rough, you don’t stop driving.
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