The five-tonne truck raised no alarm as it pulled into an Air Canada cargo hold exactly one year ago.
It wasn’t long before police say it had made off with what they describe as the largest gold theft in Canadian history.
The gold — weighing more than 400 kilograms and valued at more than $20 million — was stolen the same night it had arrived at Pearson International Airport from Switzerland. Police traced it on a winding route through city streets and rural roads before it was eventually connected to an international arms trafficking ring.
On Wednesday, officers with Peel Regional Police and the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau stood in front of the seized truck and provided details of the “carefully planned” heist at Pearson, which they believe was an inside job.
Two Air Canada employees and a Toronto jewelry store owner were allegedly among the inner group that plotted the theft of nearly $24 million in gold and cash from a storage unit at Pearson, police say.
Just $90,000 worth of the stolen gold has been recovered, police said at a press conference on the first anniversary of the massive heist. Six people have been arrested and there are Canada-wide warrants out for three others, including a former Air Canada manager, who quit his post last summer and reportedly gave police a tour of the facility before they knew of his involvement.
“This investigation isn’t done,” said Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich.
The evidence shared by Peel Regional Police and the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau on Wednesday from Project 24K included a panel truck, firearms, cash, gold and smelting pots, casts and moulds that they believe were used to change the composition of the gold.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 18, 2024 من Toronto Star.
اشترك في Magzter GOLD للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 18, 2024 من Toronto Star.
اشترك في Magzter GOLD للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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Dutcher wins second Polaris award
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