Jailed Christchurch chop shop boss Abdul Ahmadi received $800,000 in stolen cars and now looks set to lose millions in property as a result.
Ahmadi was the director of a dismantling business that was carrying out legitimate work. But it was also dismantling and exporting stolen cars overseas behind the scenes.
Ahmadi operated dismantling yards in Christchurch and Wellington, and over a period of time, became known as someone who accepted stolen cars.
The practice came to an end when police raided his Christchurch yard and found several stolen vehicles on site.
He was jailed for three years and three months at the Christchurch District Court on November 12.
Now, Justice Jonathan Eaton has granted the Police Commissioner’s application for an order for sale of two restrained properties in Upper Hutt.
It followed an application for restraining orders under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act in February after Ahmadi’s arrest.
The properties at 35 and 37 Montgomery Crescent have respective capital values of $1,090,000 and $700,000.
He operated two businesses from the properties, Lion Auto Dismantlers and NZ Wellington Car Parts, both trading under the name North Wreckers, when he came to police attention for receiving stolen vehicles and non-compliance.
He was purchasing specifically targeted vehicles from recidivist thieves and rapidly dismantling them and exporting their parts for profit.
During the course of their investigation police undertook a financial review which showed Lion Auto and NZ Wellington Car Parts engaged in large-scale quantities of shipments to the United Arab Emirates.
From the funds receipted from the UAE, more than $479,000 had been transferred from the two company accounts to the Alizadah Property Investments account which serviced the mortgage payments.
Police said an early sale was necessary to preserve the value of the properties given the escalating arrears accruing on the mortgage.
Justice Eaton said he was satisfied there were reasonable grounds to believe Ahmadi had unlawfully benefited from significant criminal activity and that an early sale order was appropriate given the escalating arrears on the mortgage of the properties.
Ahmadi was arrested in September 2024 following a police investigation of illegal activities at multiple auto-dismantlers’ yards.
A Canterbury investigation into a rise in car crime and theft started in early 2024 and focused on two vehicle dismantlers yards: one in Christchurch and the other in Upper Hutt.
Police believed both yards were fuelling vehicle thefts in their wider areas.
Police were suspicious after visiting the Christchurch auto-dismantler, finding breaches of the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act.
Investigators alleged multiple stolen cars had been bought by the yard at undervalued rates.
Police then executed simultaneous warrants in Wellington and Christchurch.
At his sentencing, the court heard Ahmadi fled from Afghanistan and sought refugee status in New Zealand 25 years ago.
The Crown said the offending was highly sophisticated, using business with licences and obligations, and yards in two cities which were chopping up vehicles and sending them around the world.
Several victims had described how they had been affected emotionally by the thefts.
