Houston Police Arrest Two Iraqis in 3 Million Luxury Car Theft Ring
Court records say the group hacked delivery orders or posed as haulers, then shipped vehicles to ports for transfer overseas.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Houston police said four adults and a juvenile, including a married couple from Iraq living in Katy and their 17-year-old son, have been arrested in connection with a ring accused of stealing more than a dozen luxury vehicles.
In a post on X on Oct. 15, the Houston Police Department said: “HPD Auto Theft Division recently conducted an operation targeting the illegal transportation of stolen luxury vehicles. The operation resulted in the recovery of 15 luxury vehicles valued at $3 million & the arrests of 4 adults & 1 juvenile for engaging in organized crime.”
Court records confirm that four adults have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity: Dheyaa Abd, 41, Iman al-Saedi, 35, Saifuldeen al-Gburi, 30, and Matthew Gonzalez, 29. According to the documents, Abd and al-Saedi are married, and Abd’s 17-year-old son was also involved in the ring. Police said the son faces the same charge. Neither police nor court documents name the teenager.
Abd and al-Saedi have each posted bond of $100,000, and Gonzalez posted bond of $50,000.
Court records say the alleged ring operated from August 2025 to September 2026. The group reportedly hacked delivery orders or posed as haulers so that vehicles would be delivered to a different location. The suspects then moved the vehicles across state lines to ports for transfer overseas, according to the documents.
One case involved a 2025 Mercedes GLE63 valued at more than $266,000, which was supposed to be delivered to Florida. The delivery driver told police he received a message to bring the car to a Houston residence. A man and a woman, later identified as al-Saedi and the 17-year-old, paid for the tow and drove off in the Mercedes, the records say.
After his arrest, Gonzalez confessed to working with Abd and al-Gburi for months, according to the records. He said the two told him where to pick up and drop off the vehicles. He also alleged that Abd disabled the vehicles’ tracking systems and arranged for them to be shipped to Dubai. Gonzalez said he visited Abd’s business in the Galleria area to collect payments, and that Abd’s son once paid him directly to try to steal a car for them.
The records do not confirm that al-Gburi was taken into custody.