The Halton Regional Police have dismantled a sophisticated criminal organization responsible for the theft of at least 40 vehicles, valued at over $30 million, from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Police allege that the stolen vehicles were destined for export overseas. The investigation was launched in May following the recovery of a stolen Toyota Tundra from Burlington, which had originally been reported stolen from Hamilton.
Detective Phil Vandenbeucler told reporters that the recovery of the Tundra led to the identification of another suspect vehicle. Following this lead, police executed a search warrant at a GTA residence. Through surveillance and further investigation, police identified several additional suspect vehicles and individuals. These individuals were observed frequently traveling between Quebec and the GTA, renting residences for short periods, and frequently changing locations.
Police have released a video showing stolen vehicles from the GTA being stripped of their contents in preparation for shipment overseas at the Port of Montreal.
While residing in Ontario, the group targeted high-end, late-model vehicles, primarily Toyota Tundras and Lexus RX350 SUVs, which were often parked in private driveways at night. The suspects would break the rear passenger windows, reprogram the blank key fobs, and steal the vehicles.
Through surveillance, police discovered that the group was transporting the stolen vehicles to the Port of Montreal in various ways. Sometimes, the vehicles were loaded into shipping containers, and in other instances, they were loaded onto tow trucks. One such tow truck was displayed outside the police headquarters.
Vandenbeucl stated that all the stolen vehicles were destined for various countries overseas.
Police have said that 55 charges have been laid against eight individuals in connection with the investigation. Eight of them have been taken into police custody, while arrest warrants have been issued for the remaining four across Canada.
