The largest gold theft in Canada: Arrested
Six people have been arrested for the largest gold theft in Canada, one year after the robbery at Toronto’s airport.
Six people have been arrested for the multi-million dollar gold theft perpetrated last year at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The information was provided by police in Canada and the United States on Wednesday, April 17.
Police also issued arrest warrants for three others in what they described as an “inside job.”
The nine suspects have been charged with more than 19 counts.
The largest gold theft in Canada took place while a huge amount of the valuable metal was being transported.
On April 17, 2023, an air cargo container carrying gold bullion and currency worth more than C$22 million was stolen from a secure warehouse using false documentation, according to police.
The gold and currency had just arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland.
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Largest gold theft in Canada: Arrested
On Canada’s largest gold theft, at least two former Air Canada employees allegedly collaborated in the audacious robbery, according to police.
One of them is in custody and a warrant has been issued for the other.
“They needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this robbery,” said Peel Regional Police Detective Sgt. Mike Mavity.
There is evidence to believe that Canada’s largest gold theft involved an “inside job.”
“We thank the police for their diligent efforts in investigating this matter. As this matter is now before the courts, our ability to comment further is limited. However, we can confirm, as stated by the police, that two of the individuals identified were working for Air Canada in the cargo division at the time of the incident. One of them left the company prior to the arrests announced today and the second has been suspended,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.
The investigation, dubbed “Project 24Karat,” involved the Pennsylvania division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The ATF claims that a Canadian man arrested in Pennsylvania for traffic violations in September 2023 was the driver of the truck that stole the cargo container.
The man was in the U.S. illegally and fled on foot during a traffic stop after a state trooper found firearms in his rental car, he said.
“A court-authorized search warrant for the vehicle resulted in the recovery of these firearms that were allegedly intended to be smuggled into Canada,” said Eric DeGree, an ATF special agent who spoke at the Peel Regional Police press conference, adding that 65 firearms “were prevented from being used in a series of violent crimes.”
Police allege that the sophisticated organized crime ring planned to use most of the gold and cash to traffic firearms into Canada.
Canadian and U.S. authorities say the investigation is ongoing and that only a portion of the larger gold theft in Canada has been recovered.
According to police, after executing a search warrant in Ontario, five cast gold bracelets worth about $90,000 were found.
“This is the largest gold theft in Canadian history and reportedly the sixth largest in global criminal history,” said Deputy Police Chief Nick Milinovich.
“I guess I never imagined they would have to deal with the biggest gold heist in Canada, it’s almost straight out of an Ocean’s Eleven or CSI movie. But these criminals thought they were more sophisticated than the police, they were wrong,” said Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, Ontario.
