Peel Regional Police say they have recovered nine vehicles after an investigation into what they allege were stolen vehicles being re-vinned.
An investigation called Project Memphis began in March when officers were given information about a vehicle that had possibly been re-vinned.
“Re-vinning” is the process of removing the original vehicle identification number, or VIN, and replacing it with a forged number.
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Police say vehicles were being re-vinned and “fraudulently re-registered and sold in Mississauga.”
“In some cases, the accused attempted to defraud multiple financial and insurance institutions,” police said.
The nine vehicles recovered, worth around $1.2 million, were:
- two Range Rover Sports
- two Ram 1500s
- one Bentley Bentayga
- one BMW M5
- one BMW X5
- one Porsche Panamera
- one Jeep Wrangler
Twelve people were arrested and 81 charges were laid. All of the accused were released with conditions and will appear at a Brampton courthouse at a later date, police said.
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