Police in Ontario have dismantled a criminal organization allegedly responsible for stolen vehicles that were destined for international export to countries such as Nigeria and Vietnam.
At a news conference on Thursday, Niagara Regional Police said it had uncovered an ongoing drug investigation with ties to the local area in August 2024. By April, the investigation turned into a joint-forces operation called Project Road King with several police forces across Ontario, the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency and Équité.
Mike Tripp, an inspector at Niagara Regional Police Service, said its “Project Road King” investigation focused on a criminal network involved in large-scale drug trafficking with other criminal activity including auto theft.
“The sophistication of this operation was evident in the stolen auto component,” Tripp said.
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Most notably, Tripp said, were 38 stolen vehicles from the Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Peel, York, Toronto, South Simcoe, and the Guelph areas that were recovered.
“Several vehicles were intercepted at shipping points already secured in containers and destined for international export to places such as Nigeria and Vietnam,” he said.
He noted in other cases, investigators found that VIN (vehicle identification numbers) were “altered with such precision” that confirming they were stolen required expert examination to reveal their true identity.
On Sept. 9, Tripp said two search warrants were executed and resulted in 30 people being arrested with more than 200 charges laid.
In addition, $260,000 worth of drugs such as cocaine and MDMA were seized, 17 long guns, 3 handguns, and $500,000 in Canadian cash.
“Every dollar seized represents money that will no longer fuel criminal activity. Every drug taken off the street represents a potential life saved. And every stolen vehicle recovered represents a business, a family or an individual who is no longer subject of predatory behaviour,” said Niagara Regional Police Service police chief Bill Fordy.
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