Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
So, where did 400 kilograms of gold valued at an estimated $20 million go?
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
That’s one of the burning questions investigators are now working to answer after charging nine suspects in connection with the April 17, 2023 heist.
Six of those suspects have been taken into custody, while three others remain outstanding.
“The missing piece (of this investigation) is where did it go?” CTV News crime expert Mark Mendelson, himself a former Toronto police homicide detective, said during an interview with CP24 on Wednesday.
“Part of doing this heist was that they needed to have purchasers readily available. This isn’t three bucks or three pounds worth of gold you stick in a knapsack and then you walk out the door with it. It's almost 1,000 pounds in gold. You can't just go to your local cash-for-gold guy at some strip mall and say, ‘Hey, I got a trunk full of gold how much you're going to give me for this?’ So they have to have had some plans in order.”
Police said on Wednesday that two of the accused in the theft worked for Air Canada at the time of the incident, while another owned a jewelry store in Toronto.
As part of their investigation, dubbed Project 24K, investigators were able to seize six gold bangles, valued at about $89,000.
But it remains unclear where the rest of the gold ended up.
Police, for their part, have said that they believe some of it was likely melted down and sold with the proceeds used to purchase illegal guns for a firearms trafficking operation.
Speaking with CP24, Mendelson said that there is always the possibility that more of the stolen gold might be found “if it hasn’t already been melted down.”
He said that determining where the stolen gold went, essentially who bought it, will be a key part of the investigation moving forward.
“There may be people calling in anonymously, and just saying, ‘Look, I didn't realize that this guy was part of this but having said that, seven months ago, he said to me A, B, and C.’ So there's all kinds of things that will further this investigation as we move down the road,” he said.
“There's a lot of jewelry, a lot of gold that's still out there and that's why this investigation is far from over.”
To watch CP24’s full interview with Mendelson click on the video player above.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Eating disorders among youth skyrocketed during pandemic and so did associated costs, report finds
The number of young people experiencing eating disorders surged during the height of the pandemic as the social and economic costs skyrocketed too, a new pan-Canadian report has found.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.