An influencer and dirt car racer has told how he was reunited with his stolen luxury £220,000 supercar after it was stolen and taken to Thailand by a criminal gang.
Mark McCann, 51, purchased his green Lamborghini Huracan Spider in 2016 as part of a new business venture which saw him and his business partner, Mo, rent out the supercar for £800 per day.
But after quickly receiving £25,000 from customers, he and Mo fell victim to a steal-to-order car smuggling ring which would soon become the centre of a massive investigation by international law enforcement.
The Bangkok-based crime gang leader masterminded the supercar theft ring that saw £6.5 million of luxury vehicles stolen in the UK and shipped to Thailand.
Intarasak Techaterasiri, 40, who went by the alias Boy Unity, employed people in Britain to attend high-value car dealerships and either rent or purchase finance-to-buy vehicles which they had no intention of paying off or returning.
The cars were then shipped to Thailand and were destined to be sold at dealerships in the country for large amounts of money.
But Techaterasiri’s plot was foiled after port officials in Southampton seized two containers which held four stolen cars, and these were tracked back to him.
It came after Mr McCann attempted to steal back his own car – as the Met refused to help as it was out of their jurisdiction. His Lamborghini is just one of 35 cars stolen from 2016-2017, with at least 30 having now finally returned to the UK.
Mr McCann is pictured with his collection of cars at his home (stolen car not pictured)
Mark McCann, 51, purchased his green Lamborghini Huracan Spider in 2016 as part of a new business venture which saw him and his business partner, Mo, rent out the supercar for £800 per day
Intarasak Techaterasiri (centre), 40, who went by the alias Boy Unity, employed people in Britain to attend high-value car dealerships and either rent or purchase finance-to-buy vehicles which they had no intention of paying off or returning
Describing on his YouTube channel how he came to purchase the vehicle, Mr McCann said: ‘It turned out to be one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made.’
Renting out the car, Mr McCann and Mo charged customers £800 per day, with a 100 mile limit and an additional charge of £6 for every extra mile driven.
All was going well until a client phoned up the firm wanting to borrow the Lamborghini for an entire month.
But once the car was delivered to the client, Mr McCann noticed it had sat stationary at Heathrow airport for days at a time.
After two weeks with no legitimate explanation from the client, the pair travelled to Heathrow airport to track the vehicle down themselves – but it was nowhere to be seen.
It was only upon requesting help from another tracking company that Mr McCann was told the truth: the car wasn’t at Heathrow. It wasn’t even in the UK. It was already in Thailand.
An investigation by the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service found Techaterasiri would have his middlemen buy or rent the cars before handing them over at his property in Kensington, west London.
They were then typically sent by air freight from Heathrow, leaving car dealerships and small businesses thousands out of pockets.
The car, once worth £220,000, had a value of just £80,000 when it was returned to Mr McCann
Mr McCann was thrilled to be reunited with his vehicle some eight years after it was purchased
During the investigation, Thai officers raided nine locations in Bangkok and recovered 30 cars
But all Mr McCann knew was his investment was now stuck 6,000 miles from where it belonged – and he wanted it back.
Two employees flew over to Bangkok and tracked the car down to a dealership, where they came across the green Lamborghini up for sale.
Having received the spare key from Mr McCann, the pair unlocked the car on the forecourt to prove it was the missing vehicle.
Despite bringing Thai police along to the meeting, one of the employees told how the man responsible for the car being stolen asked him: ‘Can I have that key?’
The employee refused – and local police suddenly told the men to leave immediately. They say they were told by officers not to return to the showroom, adding that the owner would put a ‘price on their heads’.
The pair had no choice but to return to the UK empty-handed.
Mr McCann said he then reported the theft of the car to the Met Police, and then Interpol.
He said: ‘What happened next we didn’t see coming. Our car had sparked a massive investigation. NavCis – the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service – had joined our side.’
But it wasn’t until eight years after the purchase of the car that Mr McCann and Mo received the news they hadn’t dared dream of – the car was coming home.
In fact, 30 cars were being shipped back to the UK after Thai officers raided nine locations in Bangkok.
The recovered vehicles included three Nissan GT-Rs, one Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, a Ford Mustang, a Lexus, and a Mini Cooper.
Among the cars targeted were Porsche 718 Boxsters, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, Lamborghini Huracan Spyder and a Range Rover SV Autobiography
Four people in the UK were arrested as part of the investigation into the crime ring, but released without charge
Thirty cars, including Mr McCann’s Lamborghini, were all shipped to the UK last summer
An investigation by the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service found Techaterasiri would have his middlemen buy the cars
Among other cars targeted were Porsche 718 Boxsters, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, Lamborghini Huracan Spyder and a Range Rover SV Autobiography.
Four people in the UK were arrested as part of the investigation into the crime ring, but they were released without charge.
Techaterasiri was arrested in Bangkok in 2017, but jumped bail after being convicted of evading import tariffs and was rearrested in 2022. He is still awaiting trial for his role in the smuggling ring.
A total of 13 people have been arrested and charged in Thailand as a result of the investigation.
By the time Mr McCann received the car back, it was estimated to be worth just £80,000.
The influencer shared footage on YouTube showing the moment he was reunited with his beloved car.
‘Oh my god, it looks better than when it got nicked,’ Mr McCann said.
Modifications, including new bodywork and wheel detail, as well as a spoiler, had been made to the car.
Sharon Naughton, the head of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, said: ‘UK law enforcement is bearing down on vehicle crime [and] this is just another method by which criminals are stealing cars.
‘They’re going into dealerships, entering into a finance agreement, being given the keys and driving away. Finance companies and banks know their vehicle has been stolen when the repayments aren’t made.’
Jenny Sims, lead for vehicle crime on the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: ‘This is a positive resolution to what has been an incredibly complex and diligent investigation bringing together a number of agencies and partners.
‘We know vehicle crime has a huge impact on its victims and the tireless work involved in this investigation reflects how seriously we take our role in tackling it.
‘Vehicle crime presents a number of challenges and complexities and this is why partnership working is so vital in our fight against it.’
Duncan Burrage, NCA International Liaison Officer for Thailand, said: ‘The return of these vehicles to their rightful British owners is a result of a successful multi-agency investigation with crucial contributions from the NCA, the Thai Attorney General’s Office, Department of Special Investigations and NaVCIS.
‘The action taken in returning these high value vehicles sends a message that the UK and Thai authorities will work with determination, and over years if necessary, to seek justice and return stolen assets.
‘With thanks to our law enforcement partners in Thailand, 13 people have been arrested and charged in the country as part of this investigation.
‘The luxury cars exported for onward sale included a Lamborghini, five Porches and eight Mercedes-Benzes. With a combined value of more than £6million, the vehicles represented a significant financial loss to victims in the UK.’
