“Authorities in Canada and the US have announced the arrest of six individuals linked to last year’s high-profile gold heist at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. The multimillion-dollar theft, which shocked the public, involved a coordinated effort that spanned international borders.”
“Additionally, police have issued arrest warrants for three more individuals implicated in what authorities describe as an ‘inside job.’ The total number of suspects now stands at nine, all facing charges on over 19 counts related to the gold heist at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.”
“On April 17, 2023, authorities report that an air cargo container containing over 22 million Canadian dollars’ worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from a secure storage facility. The theft occurred using fraudulent paperwork, shortly after the valuable cargo had arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland.”
“Police allege that at least two former Air Canada employees were involved in the audacious theft. One suspect is currently in custody, while an arrest warrant has been issued for the other individual.”
“Detective Sgt. Mike Mavity of Peel Regional Police stated, ‘They needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this theft,’ emphasizing his belief that this was an ‘inside job’.”
Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for Air Canada, expressed gratitude to the police for their thorough investigation. He stated, “As this matter is now before the courts, we are limited in our ability to comment further. However, we can confirm, as stated by police, that two of the individuals identified did work for Air Canada in the cargo division at the time of the incident. One left the company prior to the arrests announced today and the second has been suspended.” The investigation, dubbed “Project 24Karat,” involved the Pennsylvania division of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF says a Canadian man arrested in Pennsylvania on traffic violations in September 2023 was the driver of the truck that stole the cargo container. The man was in the US 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 led to the recovery of those firearms that were allegedly destined 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 any number of violent crimes.”
Police allege the sophisticated organized crime ring planned to use most of the gold and cash to traffic firearms into Canada.
“We believe that they’ve melted down the gold and the profits they got from the gold they used to help finance the firearms, obviously purchasing the illegal firearms,” said Mavity, adding, “We believe that’s how the gold and money has now kind of worked into the firearms trafficking aspect of the investigation”.
Canadian and US officials say the investigation is ongoing and only a fraction of the stolen gold bars and cash has been recovered. Police say after executing a search warrant in Ontario, they found five crudely melted gold bangles worth about $90,000.
“This was the largest gold heist in Canadian history, reportedly, it’s the sixth largest in world crime history,” said Deputy Police Chief Nick Milinovich.
