A man who fled Afghanistan and later gained refugee status in New Zealand has been sentenced to three years and three months in prison for operating a chop shop that handled $800,000 worth of stolen vehicles.
As per RNZ report, Abdul Ahmadi ran dismantling yards in Christchurch and Wellington under the guise of a legitimate business, but police found he was secretly dismantling stolen cars and exporting them overseas. Some vehicles were stolen and delivered to his yards within hours, then quickly shipped abroad.
Investigations revealed that between December 2023 and August 2024, 38 stolen cars passed through Ahmadi’s yards. The operation came to light after police raided his Christchurch yard and discovered several stolen vehicles on site.
At Christchurch District Court, Ahmadi’s lawyer Philip McDonnell highlighted the challenges his client faced as a refugee who fled Afghanistan 25 years ago, enduring hardship during his journey through Iran before settling in New Zealand. McDonnell described the offending as reckless and argued for an electronic sentence after a starting point of three-and-a-half to four years.
Crown prosecutor Will Taffs countered, calling the crimes premeditated and highly sophisticated. He argued that Ahmadi’s actions had caused significant financial and emotional harm and emphasised the lack of evidence of remorse.
“This is not cultural ignorance; there is no culture in the world where it is acceptable to chop up cars and sell them.”
Judge Quentin Hix agreed that the legitimacy of the business did not mitigate the offending. While acknowledging Ahmadi’s loss of mana and partial reparation efforts, the judge reduced the sentence by 35 percent, ultimately sentencing him to three years and three months.
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