An indictment charges six in a sophisticated theft ring that shipped stolen vehicles to countries as far as Africa, according to an announcement by the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.

At least 20 cars in the Washington metropolitan area and Pennsylvania were stolen and transported across state lines, then sold to buyers in the United States and the African nation of Ghana.

Law enforcement continues to investigate the defendants involved in relation to the theft of more than 100 vehicles in the District of Columbia and more than 30 vehicles in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The indictment follows a year-long investigation into an alleged D.C.-based auto theft ring that carried out vehicle thefts using electronic devices in order to reprogram cars to accept previously blank key fobs.

The vehicles targeted – primarily recently manufactured Honda Civics and CRVs and Acura TLXs and RDXs – were to be stolen and then transported them to storage locations that included a parking garage in Southeast Washington D.C. At the garage, co-conspirators allegedly disguised the appearances of the stolen cars by swapping license plates and obscuring Vehicle Identification Numbers, according to the U.S. District Attorney. Before transporting the vehicles, the defendants disabled the stolen vehicles’ GPS and Bluetooth capabilities to inhibit detection.

All six are charged with conspiracy to possess, sell, and transport stolen motor vehicles.

The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Criminal Investigations Unit, and the FBI Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Prince George’s County Police Department.