A 41-year-old man from Lenham has been jailed after Kent Police uncovered a car-dismantling operation running from two sites near Maidstone, seizing stolen vehicle parts worth £1 million in total. Asif Iqbal-Khan was sentenced to two years and three months at Maidstone Crown Court on 20 October 2026 for handling stolen property.

He was also convicted of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. Detectives recovered parts from 40 reported stolen vehicles across the two locations, and his garages and distribution centre have now been shut down, with assets seized as proceeds of crime.

How detectives found the first site

The investigation began after multiple reports of Kia thefts between December 2024 and February 2025. Following up those reports, detectives traced a stolen vehicle to a yard on Scragged Oak Road in Detling, where they found and seized a number of stolen car parts.

That discovery pointed officers towards a wider operation, with parts being dismantled and distributed rather than sold as whole vehicles.

A stop near Swanley led to the second site

In April 2025, a proactive patrol on the A20 near Swanley stopped a red Ford Transit minibus suspected of travelling on cloned number plates. The driver was found carrying a set of keys labelled "Shed 6", which led officers to a distribution centre at a farm on Waterditch Road in Lenham.

Inside was a shed 65 metres long, packed with thousands of car parts. Detective Constable Alex Bagnall of Kent Police said: "Due to a determined and relentless investigation, Iqbal-Khan's garages and distribution centre have been shut down, and his assets seized as proceeds of crime." Police said the case shows they will pursue every line of enquiry against serious vehicle crime and seize ill-gotten gains so offenders cannot profit.

Sources: Hello Rayo and West Kent Local.