Stung SUV resurfaces at the end of the world after 50 days

From Toronto to Belgium to the United Arab Emirates: This is the journey a stolen SUV from Canada has completed.

2 stolen SUVs in one year: Frustrating Airtag hunt

After having an SUV stolen in May 2023, a Canadian man, referred to in media reports only as “Andrew,” takes precautionary measures in August 2023. He equips his GMC Yukon XL with two Apple Airtags so that he can track the car in the event of another theft.

And the worst-case scenario does indeed occur: When Andrew and his family return from vacation to Toronto, there are signs on the car that show that it has been targeted by thieves. The steering wheel lock has been changed, the driver's seat has been adjusted – a quick meal in the house later, the car is gone.

Andrew can track the car's route on his cell phone. The car moved around the Toronto area for hours, and two days after the theft, the Airtag signal came from a terminal belonging to the Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway company.

The police, who are now aware of the situation, send an officer to the terminal. On site, the second Airtag connects to the police officer's smartphone, and Andrew's car appears to be stuck in a freight wagon. The frustrating thing is that the police officer refers Andrew to the railway company's private security service, saying that the police do not have access rights to the container.

11,000 kilometers away: Airtag signal leads to Dubai

The private security service did not respond quickly enough to Andrew's request – and the train and the car left.

Seven days after the original theft, Andrew receives a signal from the port of Montreal, then there is radio silence for almost a month. The next signal in early September comes from Belgium, and Andrew's car appears to have landed in the cargo port of Antwerp.

Then on September 26, 2023, another report came, this time from a port near Dubai. There are now around 11,000 kilometers between Andrew and his car and several desperate attempts by the SUV owner to stop his car's journey with the police. But according to Andrew, he took responsibility himself, and in some cases it was simply not fast enough.

Andrew's father, a retired judge, has now put a lot of effort into trying to get the car back. Father and son hire a private detective in Dubai, who eventually tracks down the car.

Airtag car in Dubai: No happy ending in sight yet

The GMC Yukon XL is offered for sale in a parking lot. The identification number matches, and in a used car ad that a CBC reporter discovered online, even the car's mileage matches Andrew's information.

Toronto police say they are still working on the case, and Andrew and his father have now contacted both Interpol and the Emirati police.

“We did everything we could except drive there and try to get it back ourselves,” Andrew said in an interview. He has only one wish: “I want my truck back.” It doesn't seem to have been on the road for a few weeks now – according to the CBC, it is still in the used car lot in the United Arab Emirates in mid-January.