A Bangkok-based crime gang leader masterminded a supercar theft ring that saw £6.5 million of luxury vehicles stolen to order in the UK and shipped to Thailand.

Intarasak Techaterasiri, 40, who went by the alias Boy Unity, employed people in Britain to attend high-value car dealerships and purchase finance-to-buy vehicles which they had no intention of paying off.

The cars were then shipped to Thailand and were destined to be sold at dealerships in the country for large amounts of money.

But Techaterasiri's plot was foiled after port officials in Southampton seized two containers which held four stolen cars, and these were tracked back to him.

He is now awaiting trial in Thailand after at least 35 cars were sent to Thailand between 2016 and 2017 as part of the finance fraud.

Among the cars targeted were Porsche 718 Boxsters, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, Lamborghini Huracan Spyder and a Range Rover SV Autobiography.

An investigation by the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service found Techaterasiri would have his middlemen buy the cars before handing them over at his property in Kensington, west London.

They were then typically sent by air freight from Heathrow, leaving car dealerships and small businesses thousands out of pockets.

During the investigation, Thai officers raided nine locations in Bangkok and recovered 30 cars, including eight Mercedes-Benzes, five BMW M4s, five Porsches, three Nissan GT-Rs, one Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, a Ford Mustang, a Lexus, and a Mini Cooper. Five other cars are being tracked down.