Key Takeaways:
– Nine suspects are facing charges following the biggest gold theft in Canadian history from Pearson International airport.
– Stolen items include 6,600 gold bars valued at over 20 million Canadian dollars and CA$2.5 million in foreign currencies.
– Police allege the stolen gold was melted down to buy illegal firearms.
– Among the charged are an Air Canada warehouse employee and a former manager. A jewelry store owner is also compromised in the crime.
– Only CA$90,000 has been recovered of the more-than CA$20 million stolen.
Massive Gold Theft Stunning Peel Regional Police
Authorities in Toronto confirmed nine individuals face charges connected to the largest gold theft in Canada’s history. Peel Regional Police commented that this epic heist saw the theft of 6,600 gold bars worth over 20 million Canadian dollars and CA$2.5 million in foreign currencies from Pearson International airport.
The stolen gold was melted down and utilized to purchase illegal firearms, police claimed. It’s an audacious heist, one Peel Regional Chief Nishan Duraiappah dryly noted would not seem out of place in a Netflix series.
The Inside Job that Began with a Fraudulent Bill
The audacious saga began on April 17, last year when the gold bars and foreign currencies were transported in the cargo hold of an Air Canada flight from a Zurich refinery. Peel Regional Detective Sgt. Mike Mavity revealed the intricate details. He stated a delivery driver showed up at the airline’s cargo warehouse with a duplicate bill for seafood, originally collected the day before. This bill facilitated the gold theft, reportedly printed directly at the Air Canada warehouse.
“This crime required inside help,” Mavity confirmed, gesturing to the seized truck believed to be used in the audacious theft. Compromised among those allegedly involved were an Air Canada warehouse employee, a former manager, and a local jewelry store owner.
Absconds and Arrests Stirring up the Scene
Police are actively seeking the former Air Canada manager who had left his job last summer. Mavity revealed that they have an idea of his possible whereabouts. Several suspects, some known to the police and others previously off their radar, have been arrested. Curiously, six crudely made gold bracelets were amongst items seized.
Commenting on the unique nature of this criminal act, Mayor of Brampton, Ontario, Patrick Brown, reflected, “It’s almost out of an ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ movie or CSI.”
The truck driver who allegedly transported the stolen gold, Durante King-Mclean, is currently in US custody facing firearm and trafficking related charges. Other individuals arrested and released on bail conditions include Air Canada employee Parmpal Sidhu, jewelry store owner Ali Raza and individuals Amit Jalota, Ammad Chaudhary, and Prasath Paramalingam.
The Missing Gold and Uncovering the Trail
While the capture of suspects brings some relief, Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich confirmed that merely CA$90,000 of over CA$20 million has been recovered. The crime’s magnitude is also reverberating across international borders.
U.S. ATF Special Agent Eric DeGree highlighted King-Mclean’s arrest in Pennsylvania after a traffic stop led to the discovery of 65 illegal firearms. The weapons were allegedly destined for smuggling into Canada in his rental car.
Mavity has claimed, “We believe they melted down the gold and with the profits they got from the gold they used to purchase illegal firearms.”
The Fallout and Recrimination Begins
The aftershock of this theft also led Brinks, an American cash handling company, to sue Air Canada. The company argued that a fraudulent document was used to walk away with the costly cargo at an Air Canada warehouse.
However, in a November 8 statement, Air Canada rejected allegations in Brink’s lawsuit. It claimed to have fulfilled its contracts and denied any improper conduct. The case continues. As Peel Police investigate further, the gold heist plot seems tailor-made for a gritty crime thriller. This story is undoubtedly far from its final chapter.