Six people arrested behind the theft of gold bars and cash at Toronto airport

On April 17, 2023, one of the largest robberies in Canadian history occurred. That day, gold bars and bills of various foreign currencies were stolen from one of the warehouses at the Toronto International Airport. The amount of the loot was 22.5 million Canadian dollars (about 16.3 million US dollars). On Wednesday, Peel Regional Police (Ontario) announced the arrest of six people in connection with this robbery; Three others are wanted and captured. Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said at a press conference that it was a “carefully planned” robbery. Duraiappah added: “This story is sensational and probably, we say this jokingly, belongs in a Netflix series.”

The operation, dubbed Project 24K, was carried out in conjunction with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Law enforcement detained six individuals between 25 and 54 years of age; all of them residents of Toronto and its surrounding areas. Five of the arrests were made on Canadian soil and another in the neighboring country. One of those arrested is an Air Canada employee. Another of those who remain fugitives stopped working at the company a few months after the million-dollar hit. Peel Police Detective Mike Mavity told the media that the group of thieves “needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this robbery.”

Just a year ago, an Air Canada plane from Zurich landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, the busiest in the country. The aircraft was transporting, among other goods, a cargo of 6,600 gold bars – valued at 20 million Canadian dollars – and about 2.5 million in cash in various foreign currencies. The valuable cargo was stored in an Air Canada warehouse. Shortly after, a man driving a truck managed to enter the warehouse by presenting an air ticket. He immediately left the airport with the loot in the vehicle. According to police, the invoice was legitimate, but it had been used a day earlier to pick up a load of seafood. A few hours later, personnel from the Brinks company (specializing in transportation and security services) arrived at the airport to look for the gold and cash, realizing the million-dollar robbery.

After interviewing 50 witnesses and executing 37 search warrants, Project 24K agents found C$430,000 in cash, as well as six gold bracelets valued at approximately $89,000, as well as casting pots and molds. The police believe that the rest of the golden metal was melted down to be placed on the international market. They also discovered a shipment of 65 firearms that were destined for Canadian buyers. Law enforcement believes the proceeds from the stolen gold were used to finance an arms trafficking operation.

Last October, Brinks filed a lawsuit against Air Canada in a Canadian federal court for security failures that allowed the robbery. The company demanded in the document the total amount of the stolen cargo. The airline rejected the allegations made by Brinks in November.

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