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A 30-year-old Oakland Park resident arrested on state charges this summer is now facing federal prosecution for his alleged role in an international stolen vehicle trafficking operation. Hakam Shahin was charged Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, with conspiracy to transport stolen motor vehicles, federal prosecutors announced. The indictment alleges a coordinated scheme involving vehicles stolen from multiple states and shipped overseas to the Middle East and Africa.
Homeland Security Investigations agents began surveillance on April 29 after learning of the criminal enterprise centered at a New Jersey shipping and logistics facility. During their investigation, agents documented luxury vehicles including a Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Bentley Continental, Lamborghini Aventador, and Ferrari—all reported stolen from Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, and New York. Agents intercepted shipments destined for Togo and the United Arab Emirates.
Investigators obtained text messages and photos showing Shahin and co-conspirators coordinating activities and evading law enforcement. In one exchange from April 30, a conspirator instructed Shahin to “clean” a stolen G-Class before police arrived, to which Shahin responded with photos of Newark Police Department vehicles at the lot. Messages also referenced avoiding Flock surveillance cameras and warned of informants alerting authorities.
Shahin was arrested Friday and is being held at Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale pending extradition to New Jersey. He was scheduled for an initial federal appearance Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale. Meanwhile, two separate state cases against him in Miami-Dade County remain active, with an arraignment scheduled for September 8 on nearly a dozen felony charges.
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