Former investigator reveals theory on police's radio silence since Toronto Pearson gold heist
A month after $20 million worth of gold was stolen in a heist at Toronto Pearson Airport, a former RCMP investigator says he has a theory why authorities have been radio silent since announcing the theft.
Peel police announced during a press conference in April that a "high-value container" was mysteriously stolen from a holding cargo facility after it was unloaded from a plane.
A gold heist took place at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ont. on April 17, 2023.
It was the only time police publicly provided new information about the heist. No details on suspects have ever been released.
Retired RCMP major-crime investigator Bruce Pitt-Payne told CTV News Toronto that while this may lead people to think the investigation has gone cold, he believes it's for the exact opposite reason.
"My professional guess would be it is because they have some good information and they're working on it," Pitt-Payne said. "But it's important to remember, one month in is still very early into this."
WHAT WE KNOW ONE MONTH LATER
The stolen gold was offloaded from an Air Canada plane and was being handled by their employees when it disappeared on April 17, a source familiar with the investigation said.
According to The Globe and Mail, the plane arrived in Toronto from Zurich on Air Canada flight 881. Tracking website FlightRadar24 shows the flight, operated by a Boeing 777, departed Zurich at 1:53 p.m. local time, arrived in Toronto at 4:05 p.m., and parked at a gate located in Terminal 1.
An Air Canada Boeing 777 is seen on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport. (Twitter / @TomPodolec)
Police said the cargo was offloaded and transported to a separate location where it was reported missing a short time later.
Private security and protection company Brink’s told CTV News Toronto after the heist they were responsible for co-ordinating the shipment.
CTV News Toronto contacted Air Canada and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority who both said updates to the investigation will be handled through Peel police. A spokesperson for Brink's said the company has no new information to share.
Pitt-Payne said police are very strategic when releasing information about ongoing cases, and that no new information doesn't mean they don’t have leads.He said releasing information would either have to benefit the investigation or public safety.
He also said no arrests or suspect information being released is not a surprise with an investigation "of this magnitude."
"The first thing that police do is a matter of exclusion of suspects," he said. "They will be looking through all the people that had any link to the airline, the airline industry, and the airport. They're going to be excluding or going through a method of exclusion by interviewing every single person and looking very deeply into their backgrounds."
He said police will also be looking very carefully to see if there was any deviation in standard procedure when offloading and storing the gold at Toronto Pearson.
"Was something done differently than the way it should be? If so, police will say 'Okay, that's odd. Let's look at who should have done that.'"
'SHAKING A LOT OF TREES'
Pitt-Payne he still believes the heist was carried out by someone who either worked on the inside or knew someone with knowledge about the gold.
A view of Toronto Pearson Airport on Friday, a day after a $20M heist was announced. (CTV News Toronto)
"It just doesn't seem logical to think it was just a good guess to go into that building," he said.
While Pitt-Payne said he believes police likely aren't releasing new information because they have good leads, his opinion on that may change as the investigation drags on.
"Six months from now, I may have a different answer if they still haven't released anything," he said. "They're going to be shaking a lot of trees hoping that something falls out."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.