The biggest gold theft in Canadian history took place at Toronto’s Pearson International airport a year ago, resulting in the theft of 6,600 gold bars amounting to over 20 million Canadian dollars, along with 2.5 million Canadian dollars. The stolen gold was melted down and used to buy illegal firearms, leading to charges being filed against nine individuals including an Air Canada warehouse employee, a former Air Canada manager, and a jewelry store owner. The police investigation revealed that the gold bars were transported on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland and were fraudulently taken from the airline’s cargo warehouse with the assistance of insiders.
The police are on the lookout for the Air Canada manager who provided a tour of the facility after the theft took place. Some of the suspects were already known to the police, while others were not. Six crudely made gold bracelets were among the items seized by law enforcement in connection with the case. The suspects have been released on bail but will have court appearances in the future. The truck driver who allegedly picked up the stolen gold is currently in custody in the U.S. on firearms and trafficking charges, while the former Air Canada manager, along with two other individuals, are being sought by the authorities.
Despite the recovery of only a small fraction of the stolen amount, the police managed to arrest the truck driver in the U.S. and seize 65 illegal firearms destined for Canada. The investigation into the theft led to revelations about the involvement of multiple individuals in an international gun trafficking operation. Brinks, the cash handling company, filed a lawsuit against Air Canada for the stolen gold and cash, but the airline refuted the allegations and cited a multilateral treaty to cap its liability. The theft involved a fraudulently obtained waybill that allowed the perpetrator access to the cargo warehouse.
Authorities hailed the successful dismantling of an international gun trafficking ring that was funded by profits from the gold melting operation. This operation led to the seizure of numerous firearms, including fully automatic weapons and untraceable guns. The value of the stolen gold was used to purchase the illegal firearms, posing a significant threat to public safety. The police effort included cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies to apprehend the truck driver and recover the firearms. Overall, the investigation uncovered a sophisticated criminal network involved in gold theft, trafficking, and weapons smuggling.
