The first of five men accused of being part of a crime ring behind the theft of more than 60 Toyota LandCruisers – valued at more than $8 million – has been denied bail in Brisbane Arrest Court and now faces up to 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 part of a five-man crime syndicate responsible 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.
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Police allege the syndicate stole the vehicles using a CAN bus tool, a method used by thieves in Victoria, where what appears to be a similar organised crime operation saw a spike in Toyota thefts earlier this year.
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 start its engine – all while disabling Toyota’s vehicle tracking system.
Toyota Australia has revealed to CarExpert it’s working to combat the problem across Australia.
The Brisbane syndicate is accused of targeting the popular 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 Car Parts P/L, in the Brisbane suburb of Rocklea.
The company’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 did not 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 as the matter proceeds in January 2026.
