Between 20 October and 1 December, investigators allege 60 vehicles worth about $9 million were stolen across the Brisbane region before being concealed inside shipping containers and sent to the United Arab Emirates as second-hand cars.

The stolen car was found abandoned the next day in Mooroopna.

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.

Victoria Police found the family's car 48 hours later and said the vehicle was a write-off.