GTA car theft gang targeted affluent areas by scouting the vehicles in the evening and returning in the early morning to steal them
The Canadian Bazaar
TORONTO: Police have busted a car theft ring which stole high-end vehicles from the GTA.
Seventy-three high-end vehicles, valued at more than $4.5 million, were seized from the thieves during eight search warrants across the GTA and in Brossard, Quebec, on March 16.
Eighteen people have been charged with more than 170 offences which include conspiracy, trafficking of property obtained by crime and theft of a motor vehicle.
Search warrants came after two months of investigation called `Project Majestic’ which focused on thefts of Lexus, Toyota and Honda sport utility vehicles throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Investigations began in December after police identified a criminal syndicate responsible for stealing high-end vehicles from residential driveways across the GTA.
According to police, the suspects would enter the vehicle and reprogram the ignition computer, allowing it to be driven away utilizing a new key. The vehicles were driven directly to the Port of Montreal or loaded into a sea container in Toronto and transported to Montreal by rail. The containers were then loaded onto ships and delivered to buyers in Africa or the United Arab Emirates.
In a video statement, Det. Scott Cresswell of the York Regional Police Auto Cargo Theft Unit said, “Typically what we were seeing was that groups of thieves would target affluent residential areas in the GTA. They would generally scout cars in the early evening hours. Returning in the early morning hours, they would force entry to the vehicle.”
Police in the GTA worked with the Durham Regional Police Service, the Canadian Border Services Agency and the Insurance Bureau of Canada to unravel the car theft gang.
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