Peel Regional Police Det. Sgt. Mike Mavity briefs the media on arrests made in the $20-million gold heist at Pearson Airport in Mississauga. The truck used to steal the gold is in the background.
By The Smartencyclopedia Staff & Agencies
Canadian and US authorities have announced the arrest of six individuals and the search for three others in connection with what has been dubbed the largest gold heist in Canadian history, involving a cargo valued at over C$22 million (NZ$27m) in gold and currency.
The suspects, including two Air Canada employees, are alleged to have forged an airway bill to steal a cargo of 6600 gold bars weighing 400 kg and C$2.5 million in foreign currency upon its arrival from Switzerland, according to police officials.
The heist, which occurred exactly one year ago at an Air Canada cargo facility at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, has led to the naming of nine suspects and the outlining of the 19 charges they collectively face, as detailed by Peel regional police at a recent press briefing.
While five suspects were arrested in Canada and subsequently released on bail pending trial, one suspect, originally from Brampton, Ontario, was apprehended in Pennsylvania along with firearms and remains in custody in the United States. Canada-wide warrants have been issued for the remaining three suspects, police disclosed.
Air Canada, in response to the arrests, revealed that it had suspended one cargo division employee charged in connection with the theft. The other employee, who worked in the same department at the time of the heist, had left the airline before the charges were announced.
“As this is now before the courts, we are limited in our ability to comment further,” Air Canada stated in a released statement.
Following an extensive investigation conducted by Peel regional police in collaboration with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, authorities managed to recover approximately one kg of gold and around C$434,000 in Canadian currency.
“We believe that they’ve melted down the gold and then the profits they got from the gold, they used to help finance the firearms,” Detective Sergeant Mike Mavity explained.
Moreover, police recovered some 65 firearms alleged to have been purchased with the proceeds from the gold theft.
In the aftermath of the heist, Miami-based transport and security services provider Brinks filed a lawsuit against Air Canada in October, citing “negligence and carelessness” by the airline. Brinks had been contracted by Swiss bank Raiffeisen Schweiz and precious metals refining company Valcambi to transport the valuables from Zurich to Toronto.