A man has been charged with 103 offences in connection with an investigation dealing with the theft of high-end vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area.
Toronto police allege the man is connected to a larger criminal enterprise of thieves, shippers and freight forwarders. The group was targeted by officers as a part of Project CBG which investigated stolen and reprogrammed vehicles.
Some of the vehicles were shipped to Tin Can Island, Nigeria, and sold without the proper paperwork.
Other vehicles were given fake Vehicle Identification Numbers, registered and either driven by members of the theft ring or sold to innocent buyers.
READ MORE: West African ‘Black Axe’ group targeted in major GTA-wide auto theft ring
Officers from several police agencies in Canada and the United States executed 36 search warrants on multiple GTA homes, businesses and vehicles in December.
Police said they recovered 200 vehicles (179 of them were in shipping containers) valued at approximately $11 million, 10 suspected stolen vehicles and parts, two tractor-trailers, keys, electronics, three long guns and ammunition, and drugs.
The suspect was arrested by Toronto Police Service major crime task force officers on Tuesday.
Nicholas Harry, 32, has been charged with 57 counts of uttering forged documents, 38 counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, four counts of breaching probation, two counts of possessing property obtained by crime (over $5,000), possession of property obtained by crime for trafficking and motor vehicle theft.
He was scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on Wednesday.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact investigators at 416-808-7350 or holdupsquad@torontopolice.on.ca, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.
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