A third Customs seizure of stolen cars being shipped through Malta has led to the arrest in Canada of people suspected of being behind a series of violent carjackings. 

Customs on Tuesday announced that they had seized another 12 stolen cars hidden in shipping containers - the third such seizure in the space of a month.

In a statement, Customs said that it had worked closely with Maltese police and Canadian authorities and that its work had led to several arrests in Canada. 

Substantial amounts of money was seized and at least two of the locally seized vehicles are believed to have been stolen violently, Customs said. 

Containers contained pricey vehicles

The number of stolen Canadian cars seized now stands at 24, as three Lexus RX350, two Ford Pick-ups 450, two Ford Expedition SUV, one Mercedes G63, a Honda CRV, a Mustang, one Range Rover Velar, and a Ford 150 were found in several containers en-route to Abu Dhabi. 

Customs said that police in Canada had identified an organised crime group, conducted a series of raids and made several arrests. The operation made use of documentation provided by the Maltese authorities, which Customs said had confirmed that all cars seized were those reported as stolen in Canada. 

During the raids, several other stolen vehicles, key decoders, and shipping information were recovered, in addition to substantial amounts of money. 

Furthermore, the investigation also led the Canadian border agency to identify a number of other containers filled with stolen vehicles, which were set to be shipped out of Canada.