The primary of 5 men accused of being a part of a criminal offense ring behind the theft of greater than 60 Toyota LandCruisers – valued at greater than $8 million – has been denied bail in Brisbane Arrest Court and now faces as much as 14 years in jail.
Sher Hussain Mahasely, a 29-year-old Uber driver and business owner, was arrested by Queensland Police Service officers on the afternoon of December 9, 2025.
He appeared before a magistrate this morning with an application for bail which, after a roughly 30-minute proceeding, was denied.
The QPS alleged Mr Mahasely is a component of a five-man crime syndicate answerable for a spike in Toyota thefts in Brisbane, which saw 74 vehicles – predominantly LandCruiser 300 Series and RAV4 SUVs – stolen over a three-week period.
CarExpert can prevent 1000’s on a brand new automobile. Click here to get an excellent deal.
Police allege the syndicate stole the vehicles using a CAN bus tool, a technique utilized by thieves in Victoria, where what appears to be an identical organised crime operation saw a spike in Toyota thefts earlier this yr.
As described by CarExpert’s Paul Maric, the tool used to access the CAN bus (which stands for Controller Area Network) “only exists to steal cars”.
It allows thieves to disable features including a vehicle’s immobiliser, unlock its doors and begin its engine – all while disabling Toyota’s vehicle tracking system.
Toyota Australia has revealed to CarExpert it’s working to combat the issue across Australia.
The Brisbane syndicate is accused of targeting the favored Toyota vehicles with the intention of breaking the vehicles down and selling the parts overseas.
Mr Mahasely was described in court as having ‘recently’ established a car-parts business, Sherwood Automobile Parts P/L, within the Brisbane suburb of Rocklea.
The corporate’s Australian Business Number (ABN) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) registration are dated August 27, 2025.
Web search results describe the business as ‘temporarily closed’.
Defence lawyer Lewis Hunter, from Brisbane-based Guest Lawyers, argued Mr Mahasely was not a flight risk, given he was cooperative with police, didn’t personally know any witnesses, and the alleged crimes didn’t involve violence.
Despite Mr Hunter’s argument, the magistrate denied bail for the accused, saying the alleged crimes were “highly organised” with a level of “sophistication”, and given the “intensity, volume and dollar amount of the crimes”, granting bail would pose an “unacceptable risk”.
Mr Mahasely will face court because the matter proceeds in January 2026.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
