Wanderlust Ghana Expedition Club has suspended its highly anticipated 30,000-kilometer Cross-Country Overland Expedition after it was discovered that two of the vehicles involved— a 2016 Lexus RX 350 and a 2018 Toyota Tacoma—had been reported stolen in Canada in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
The vehicles were flagged as stolen while the expedition team was entering the Republic of Congo, and they have since been seized by local authorities. The incident prompted immediate action, with law enforcement agencies in both Canada and Ghana notified of the situation. The third vehicle, a Ford F150 Raptor, was shipped back to Ghana from Pointe-Noir, Congo, and is currently being used by the team.
According to Wanderlust Ghana, both stolen vehicles were purchased in Accra, Ghana, from licensed car dealers, after conducting thorough due diligence, including paid Carfax reports, which had all returned clean results at the time of purchase. The club has stated its commitment to fully cooperating with the ongoing investigations and has taken legal steps to pursue civil action against the sellers of the vehicles.
Wanderlust Ghana further says it’s planning a collaborative initiative with the U.S. and Canadian diplomatic missions in Ghana to launch a public awareness campaign aimed at curbing the flow of stolen vehicles into the country. The campaign will also focus on educating the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen cars.
Despite the setback, the expedition team reflects on the remarkable journey they’ve already undertaken, having covered 28,811 kilometers across 28 countries spanning Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Along the way, the team has actively promoted Ghana’s tourism potential and created valuable connections with Ghanaian diplomatic missions, consulates, and diaspora communities.
