U.S. is investigating how ISIS gets all those brand new Toyota trucks

People have been wondering for months now how Daesh (a derogatory named for ISIS) got those Toyota trucks, considering it’s frowned upon for car dealerships to sell to terrorist groups. According to CNN, the U.S. Treasury is now officially issuing an inquiry to see how supply chains work in the Middle East, and Toyota is part of it.

Toyota is complying 100% with the inquiry. Toyota spokesman Ed Lewis has announced that they are “committed to complying fully with the laws and regulations of each country and region where we operate and require our dealers and distributors to do the same.”

Toyota has strict policies in place about who they sell to, as well as policies that prevent further resale to third parties. However, it’s impossible to have complete control over how third parties can misappropriate, steal, or resell the vehicles.

From CNN:

Lewis said it’s impossible for any automaker to completely control how vehicles could be misappropriated, stolen or resold by independent third parties.

“Toyota has a strict policy to not sell vehicles to potential purchasers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities, and we have procedures and contractual commitments in place to help prevent our products from being diverted for unauthorized military use,” Lewis said. Many of the Toyota vehicles used in the ISIS propaganda videos aren’t sold in the United States, he said.

Lewis suggested that the inquiry looks into a number of private companies.

“Our understanding is that Treasury has been conducting a broad review of supply chains and the flow of goods into the Middle East, including financial institutions, manufacturers and energy companies.”

There are other companies that are also part of the inquiry, so that the United States can better understand how ISIS gets its cash.

Watch CNN’s report below:

[Reverb Press, CNN] Featured image via Twitter

Caitlin Cohen

Caitlin Cohen graduated from Boston University with a degree in History. She has written for DeadState for three and a half years. She technically speaks French. She lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and has big plans to one day get a dog.

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