Two sophisticated Battersea scammers have been convicted of helping run a multimillion pound stolen car racket, in which cars taken from all over the country were shipped to Africa.

Abdu Gatsinzi, 37, and Allen Kalisa, 30, both of Brynmaer Road, belonged to a gang which stole 200 prestige Mercedes and BMWs and shipped them out of the UK, mainly to Mombasa.

When the £4million scam was discovered, police turned around a ship on the sea and found it was full of stolen vehicles.

A jury at Luton Crown Court was told the conspiracy ran from May 2005 to mid-April 2006, when police arrested gang members who were loading stolen Mercedes into a sea container at a yard in the East End of London.

Herts Police grew suspicious after a spate of night-time burglaries, where car keys were stolen from houses and vehicles taken.

Mark Wyeth, prosecuting, said the police operation swung into action after a BMW was stolen from a house in November 2005.

It had a faulty tracker device, which randomly activated itself while it was in a container at Felixstowe port.

He said: "Police cracked open the 40ft container and found two stolen vehicles inside.

"That put officers on to the trail of the conspirators.

"Fourteen other containers were opened, which revealed 16 other stolen vehicles.

"The police then decided to recall 35 containers that were at sea and had not yet reached Mombasa. Of the 35 containers, 34 contained stolen cars."

He said some of the shipments were disguised as fridges rather than vehicles.

Police smashed the racket after setting up surveillance in east London and filming the gang as it loaded stolen Mercedes.

Twelve defendants, including the Battersea pair, were found guilty or pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods. They are due to be sentenced next month and face a long spell in prison.

A case will also be brought against the defendants under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover their assets.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Chapman said: "The investigation has significantly disrupted what is clearly a sophisticated criminal network "In addition the courts will have the powers to strip substantial financial assets acquired through the defendants' criminality."