Ottawa () – Six people have been arrested in connection with last year’s multimillion-dollar gold heist at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, police in Canada and the United States said Wednesday.
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.
On April 17, 2023, an air cargo container carrying gold bullion and foreign currency worth more than CAD 22 million was stolen from a secure warehouse using false documentation, according to police. The gold and foreign currency had just arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland.
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 arrest of the other.
“They needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this robbery,” said Detective Sergeant Mike Mavity of Peel Regional Police, adding that he believed it was an “inside job.”
– Cargo container with millions in gold and other valuables stolen from Toronto airport, police say
“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 Peter Fitzpatrick, spokesman for Air Canada.
The Pennsylvania division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives participated in the investigation, dubbed “Project 24Karat.”
The ATF says a Canadian man pulled over 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, it 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 news conference, adding that 65 firearms were prevented “from being used in a number of violent crimes.”
Police allege the sophisticated organized crime network planned to use most of the gold and cash to traffic firearms into Canada.
“We believe that they melted down the gold and the proceeds that they made from the gold were used to help fund the firearms, obviously the purchase of illegal firearms,” Mavity said, adding: “We believe that’s how the gold and the money have now been incorporated into the firearms trafficking aspect of the investigation.”
Canadian and US authorities say the investigation is ongoing and only a portion of the stolen gold bars and cash have been recovered. According to police, five melted gold bracelets worth about $90,000 were found after executing a search warrant in Ontario.
“This is the largest gold heist in Canadian history and reportedly the sixth largest in global crime history,” said Deputy Chief Constable Nick Milinovich.
“I don’t think I ever imagined they would be dealing with the biggest gold heist in Canadian history, it’s almost like something out of an Ocean’s Eleven or CSI movie. But these criminals thought they were more sophisticated than the police, and they were wrong,” said Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, Ontario.
Add Comment