Police to announce arrests in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist

Police say that arrests have been made in connection with a gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago.

The heist happened on April 17, 2023 and involved the theft of a "high-value container" from a holding cargo facility after it was taken off an Air Canada plane.

Police have released few details about the circumstances surrounding the theft beyond that.

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But a lawsuit filed by Brink’s against Air Canada does shed some light on what is alleged to have happened.

In its statement of claim, Brink’s said that an unidentified individual gained access to Air Canada’s cargo warehouse after presenting phoney paperwork approximately 40 minutes after the plane carrying the goods first landed.

The statement of claim, which was filed on Oct. 6, 2023, says staff then handed over $2 million in U.S. currency and 400 kilograms of gold bars – currently worth about $21.1 million – to the alleged thief.

In a news release on Tuesday, police said that investigators will announce “details and arrests made” in relation to the investigation, dubbed Project 24K, at a news conference on Wednesday.

The news conference is set for 8:30 a.m.

Representatives from Peel Regional Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are expected to speak.