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3 N.J. Men Off To Prison In International Carjacking, Theft Ring

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Three Essex County, New Jersey men are off to state prison for their roles in a carjacking and theft ring that trafficked luxury cars to Africa.

The defendants – Kurtis Bossie, 24, of Newark; Jim J. Bryant Jr., 24, of Newark; and Daniel I. Hunt, 38, of West Orange – were among 26 charged as part of Operation Jacked, during which Acting New Jersey Attorney General Robert Lougey said the suspects targeted high-end luxury sport-utility vehicles in New Jersey and New York and either carjacked or stole them outright.

They then shipped the vehicles to West Africa, Lougey said.

Bossie was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Bryant to 10 years, and Hunt to five years, according to the Bergen Dispatch. All of them pleaded guilty in the case.

Lougey said 160 vehicles worth $8 million were recovered.

Twenty-seven of the vehicles were stolen from various locations, including car washes and airports, where they could make off with the electronic keys as well, officials said when the carjacking ring was first busted in 2014.

In one incident, a carjacker pulled a gun on a woman at a stoplight, dragged her out of the vehicle and pistol whipped her six months ago in Newark, Hoffman said.

The operation followed a high-profile incident in December 2013, in which Hoboken attorney Dustin Friedland was killed when he and his wife were carjacked at The Mall at Short Hills the for their Land Rover.

Seven other defendants have already been sentenced in the case, which has already helped cut carjackings in the Essex County area by more than half over the past three years.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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