NICB said a total of 28 vehicles and heavy construction equipment, reported as either stolen or destroyed in the United States, were recovered in the Dominican Republic and have now been shipped back in the United States.

NICB said that the investigation has gone on for nearly six months, and involved its agents as well as members of the FBI, U.S. Customs Service, the Dominican government, and the Dade Auto Theft Task Force.

The vehicles, which the operation located in various locations in and around the Dominican Republic, were found in perfect condition, NICB said.

The 1,500 stolen cars were taken over a three-year period for resale on the black market, NICB said.

Mr. Bryant noted that insurance fraud and vehicle theft "cost the American public $37 billion annually, with illegal vehicle exportation by organized criminal conspiracies contributing greatly to the overall theft problem."

The vehicles recovered in the Dominican Republic included construction equipment and heavy-duty trucks, he said.

The NICB noted that the U.S. and Dominican government ratified a bilateral treaty last year, which led to cooperation on the auto theft problem.

Among the recently returned vehicles, NICB said, was a 2001 Toyota Camry valued at $20,415 that was reported destroyed in at the World Trade Center after Sept. 11 and was recovered on a dealer?s lot in Santo Domingo.

Also located was a 1999 Mack heavy-duty truck, reported stolen from the New York area, on which the insurer paid an $800,000 theft claim.

According to the FBI, auto theft in the United States increased 1.2 percent from 1999 to 2000, the first year-to-year increase in 10 years. The NICB estimated that 30 percent of vehicles stolen in the United States are never recovered, while approximately 200,000 vehicles are illegally exported each year.

The NICB is a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting insurance fraud and theft for the benefit of its customers and the public through information analysis, forecasting, criminal investigation support, training and public awareness. The NICB is supported by approximately 1,000 property-casualty insurance companies.