Investigators find three identical white Fiat cars abandoned in three different districts of a major city. Car one contains the victim's body. Car two contains his briefcase, identification documents, and luggage. Car three contains his papers. All identification has been stripped from the body. A colleague suggests this is consistent with an organized criminal robbery gone wrong. The lead investigator disagrees. What single operational characteristic of this vehicle distribution pattern most clearly argues against a criminal robbery explanation and toward a state-level intelligence operation?