48 stolen vehicles seized, 150 charges laid in Toronto police investigations
Officers say 48 vehicles with a combined value of just under $4 million were recently seized as part of an undercover Toronto police investigation focused on the trafficking, shipping, and re-vinning of stolen vehicles.
Speaking at a news conference in Toronto on Wednesday, police provided details on two separate but related undercover investigations, dubbed Project Spectre and Project Paranoid.
Police said Project Spectre, an investigation into a network of individuals involved in narcotics and firearms trafficking, was launched in April 2023. During that investigation, police said, an undercover operator managed to purchase six illegal firearms and a quantity of illicit drugs.
“Information obtained during Project Spectre led to a new investigation focused on the trafficking, shipping, and re-vinning of stolen vehicles,” Staff Supt. Pauline Gray told reporters.
According to Gray, seven suspects face a combined 150 charges in connection with the two investigations.
Police said 20 of the vehicles that were seized during Project Paranoid were recovered as part of a joint effort with the Halton Regional Police Service. Those vehicles, police said, have a combined value of about $1 million and were found at a shipper location in Burlington.
Twenty other vehicles were intercepted by police in Toronto and Montreal with the help of the CBSA and five were purchased by an undercover operator, police said. Three more were located during the execution of search warrants, Supt. Steve Watts said Wednesday.
“During the investigation, there were several businesses in the GTA which were identified as locations where stolen motor-vehicles were stored and sold prior to being shipped overseas and/or re-vinned and re-registered to be sold domestically,” he added.
Ontarians ‘especially vulnerable’ to auto theft
The probe was conducted in collaboration with investigators from Équité, a national organization that aims to reduce and prevent insurance fraud and crime.
“In Canada, a vehicle is stolen every five minutes. The vehicles that the organized crime groups are targeting in Ontario are newer and have greater value than ever before,” Bryan Gast, the vice-president of investigative services at Équité, told reporters on Wednesday.
“Since 2020, the claim costs have increased by 319 per cent. And for the first time, Ontario has experienced over $1 billion in auto theft claims costs in a single year in 2023.”
Gast said last year’s auto theft claims costs were up $300 million from 2022.
“Profit margins are high and historically, the risk of consequences for criminals are low. As a result, stolen vehicles are frequently trafficked in order finance and carry out other criminal activity,” he said.
“Ontario’s population, high-volume of targeted vehicles and its proximity to the port of Montreal make it especially vulnerable.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blockade briefly stops Pride Parade in downtown Winnipeg
A group of protesters briefly blocked the Winnipeg Pride Parade on Sunday.
Trump says he's 'OK' with serving potential jail time or house arrest after historic conviction
Former U.S. president Donald Trump said he is 'OK' with serving potential jail time or being under house arrest following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Ryan Reynolds has declared 'War of the Popcorn Buckets.' He's honestly onto something
Ryan Reynolds this week unveiled arguably the most anticipated and sure-to-be coveted merchandise tied to his upcoming 'Deadpool' sequel: the movie’s novelty popcorn bucket.
Ontario gave parents more than $1B in cash over 2 years. Here's where the money went
During the pandemic, the Ontario government started to hand out cash to parents to help offset the cost of at-home learning while schools were shuttered.
Do this once a month and extend your life by up to 10 years. No gym required
Research shows that art experiences, whether as a maker or a beholder, transform our biology by rewiring our brains and triggering the release of neurochemicals, hormones and endorphins.
'There could have been an explosion,' 8 people, including 4 children injured in St. Constant, Que.
Eight people, including four children, have second- or third-degree burns as a result of an incident at a home in Saint-Constant, Que. south of Montreal, the Coopérative des techniciens ambulanciers de la Montérégie (CETAM) reported on Saturday.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
One dead, 26 wounded in overnight shooting in Ohio: reports
A shooting on a street in Akron, Ohio, killed one man and wounded 26 other people early Sunday morning, according to reports by local news outlets.
North Korea says it will stop sending trash balloons as South Korea vows strong retaliation
South Korea said Sunday it’ll soon take retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border and other provocations.