Moment Ukrainian 'car cannibal' is caught at Dover: Border officers find van driver smuggling £100K worth of parts from eight high-end vehicles stolen off UK streets

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 00:02, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 00:06, 8 July 2026 A Ukrainian driver was pulled over with £100,000 worth of parts from eight high-end stolen cars that were being smuggled out of Britain for sale on the black market. Pieces from a Jaguar XE sports car and four Land Rover Discovery vehicles were found in the rundown delivery van in a search by police at the Port of Dover in Kent. The driver protested his innocence to officers, claiming his van was full of spare parts he wanted to 'take home' after purchasing them as scrap metal online. But investigations quickly confirmed the parts including LED highlight units were made in recent years and one was linked to a car theft just nine days earlier. The moment the 'car cannibal' was caught is in the latest episode of Channel 4 documentary Dover 24/7: Britain's Busiest Port which is airing on Mondays at 8pm. In an exclusive clip released to the Daily Mail, officer Steve from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) is seen pulling over the delivery van. He says: 'The vehicle doesn't appear to be insured, doesn't appear to be registered to the driver. The driver is a Ukrainian. He's told us the vehicle is full of spare parts.' The van is full of what appears at first sight to be scrap, but Steve then has a look through and raises concerns because some of the parts were only made in 2019. The driver tells police in Dover, Kent, that his van is full of spare parts he wants to 'take home' Investigators find £100,000 worth of parts from eight high-end stolen cars in the driver's van He explains that if someone is buying old scrap vehicle parts to take out of Britain, he would expect the vehicles to be 15 or 20 years old – not seven years old. The driver tells them: 'I wanted to acquire these parts to take home. I was trying to find these parts but it didn't work out. So I was recommended to come here.' Steve then spots a Discovery Sport built in 2016 which has a chassis number that confirms to him it was reported stolen nine days ago. He believes the parts are worth about £20,000, including LED headlight units which can cost £900 each. He says: 'Four Land Rover Discovery bonnets, another Land Rover bonnet, a pretty much complete Jaguar XE. I think we could be looking at eight or so vehicles. 'We've got a blue one, a red one, a black one, a grey one. Interestingly, in the door pocket of the Jaguar, it's got contact details. Someone woke up probably in the morning, found it missing, and again it's ended up like this.' The parts were seized so an investigation could be carried out - but, following this, the police took no further action against the driver. Pieces from a Jaguar XE sports car and four Land Rover Discovery vehicles were found Investigators found some of the car parts in the van were linked to a theft just nine days earlier It comes as gangs continue to target luxury cars in Britain, with 7,000 high-specification vehicles stolen to order last year and then stripped down into parts. This takes place across the UK in illegal garages known as 'chop shops', where stolen cars are taken to be broken down into parts then sold on. These parts are often shipped to countries across Africa and the Middle East, where they can sell for higher price on the black market. The latest episode of the TV series comes after the last one showed a migrant being caught trying to smuggle himself out of Britain in the back of a lorry, pleading to police: 'I just want to go back to France!' The man was spotted jumping out of a lorry while it was being searched by officers at the Port of Dover ferry terminal before running towards the exit. 'Dover 24/7: Britain's Busiest Port' airs on Channel 4 on Mondays at 8pm and can be streamed by clicking here