The Ontario Provincial Police say 306 stolen vehicles have been recovered as part of an investigation into an organized crime ring accused of illegally exporting vehicles overseas using freight forwarding companies.
Police said the group was responsible for vehicle thefts and had international reach. They allege the group was shipping vehicles to destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and several countries in West Africa “where the demand for high-end SUVs and luxury vehicles is high.“
Project Chickadee began in August 2023 after investigators recovered four stolen vehicles from the Greater Toronto Area. Police say they had evidence that freight forwarding companies and drivers — who act as intermediaries to organize and manage the transportation of goods — used registered businesses and fraudulent documentation to ship stolen vehicles to the Middle East and West Africa.
The OPP said shipping containers were inspected during transit as well as at the Port of Montreal, Port of Vancouver and Port of Halifax in an effort to stop the shipment of stolen cars by the criminal organization.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday that auto thefts have surged in Ontario in recent years.
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In 2020, around 17,000 vehicles were stolen, and that total rose to more than 30,000 vehicles in 2023, Carrique said.
“Auto theft continues to victimize and cost Canadians in excess of $1 billion in insurance claims annually,” Carrique said. “Motivated by profit, organized crime views auto theft as a low-risk, high-reward enterprise.”
Other agencies such as the RCMP, local police forces in Ontario, the Surete du Quebec, the Canada Border Services Agency and Équité Association assisted in the investigation.
Police said 306 stolen vehicles with a combined value of about $25 million, and destined for foreign markets, were recovered.
“Project Chickadee targeted the entire chain of criminal activity, including registered freight forwarding companies and owners who knowingly facilitated the illegal exportation of stolen vehicles,” Carrique said.
“What started as a local investigation uncovered a network of international reach shipping stolen vehicles overseas to markets where they sell for double their Canadian value.”
Équité Association, Canada’s national authority fighting insurance crime and fraud, said the most common theme among the stolen vehicles is that the thefts are “all technology-based.”
“There’s vulnerabilities,” Bryan Gast with Équité Association said. “With every convenience becomes a vulnerability to that vehicle: keyless entry and reprogramming.”
Four search warrants were conducted in Toronto and Vaughan, Ont., on Oct. 16, where officers seized $30,000 in cash, one re-vinned vehicle, key programmers and numerous Ontario licence plates.
A month later, on Nov. 27, search warrants were conducted at 23 residential and industrial locations. As well, 13 vehicles in the GTA were searched and one search warrant was executed in Saint-Eustache, Que.
Other items seized, police said, include three guns, an onboard diagnostic reader, numerous key fobs and vehicle keys, vehicle shipping documentation, Canadian and U.S. cash, other equipment such as forklifts and tractor-trailer cabs, cellphones, laptops and hard drives.
OPP said 20 people, all from the Greater Toronto Area, have been arrested and are collectively facing 134 charges. These include participating in a criminal organization, trafficking property and auto theft-related charges.
Police said of the 20 arrested, most were held for bail, six are still in custody and three people have been released on conditions.
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