'Details and arrests' surrounding $22-million gold heist at Pearson airport revealed Wednesday
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Police will announce Wednesday morning that arrests have been made in connection with a massive $22-million gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The improbable caper happened exactly one year ago Wednesday – on April 17, 2023 – and involved the theft of a “high-value container” from a holding cargo facility after it was taken off an Air Canada plane.
Details surrounding the theft have been scarce, but Peel Regional Police officers are expected to provide more information Wednesday.
The theft, first reported by The Toronto Sun at the time, happened in the early evening hours and saw $22 million worth of gold and banknotes stolen.
A confidential memo shared with the Sun at the time stated that the bank in question was TD. It was understood that the gold and banknotes were being shipped as part of a banking transaction, though the identity of the other financial institution wasn’t known.
One source was quoted shortly after the heist as saying it appeared the thieves only took part of the shipment and not all of it.
The shipping container holding the gold was described by police at the time as being square with dimensions in the five- to six-foot range.
A source told the Sun at the time that police believed whoever pulled this heist off had inside help.
Others Sun sources suggested the heist was organized by South Asian mobsters, while other reports suggested the gold was immediately placed on a truck and shipped to the Port of Montreal.
A lawsuit filed by Brink’s against Air Canada could shed some light on the circumstances.
In its statement of claim, Brink’s said that an unidentified person gained access to Air Canada’s cargo warehouse after showing fake paperwork, CP24 reported Tuesday.
The statement, filed on Oct. 6, 2023, said staff then handed over US$2 million in currency and 400 kilograms of gold bars – worth more than $21 million – to the thief.
Peel Regional Police said in a news release on Tuesday that Wednesday’s news conference will include an announcement of “details and arrests made” in relation to the probe, dubbed Project 24K.
Representatives from Peel Regional Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are expected on hand.
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Police sources confirm three Brampton men and one Florida man were arrested in a cross-border gun trafficking ring that is linked to the gold heist.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Durante King-Mclean, 25, Prasath Paramalingam, 34, Archit Grover, 36, all of Brampton, and Jalisa Edwards, 25, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, were charged in a multi-count federal indictment with charges stemming from a conspiracy to engage in international firearms trafficking.”
American authorities say this stemmed from allegations that “King-Mclean was stopped by Pennsylvania State Police on September 2, 2023, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.”
It is alleged he was in the United States illegally and “fled on foot when troopers discovered firearms in the rental vehicle. A court authorized search warrant for the vehicle led to the recovery of 65 firearms that were allegedly destined to be illegally smuggled into Canada.”
Peel Regional Police are expected to explain at the news conference Wednesday how this is connected to last year’s massive gold heist.
“This was the largest gold theft in Canada and the sixth largest in history,” Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said. “Our service is committed to ensuring criminals who target our community for profit are arrested and charged.”
Some evidence will be on display at today’s news conference.
Chief Nishan Duraiappah praised the “investigative excellence” of his officers.
“This is more evidence of that commitment from our service and the people who deliver it,” he said.robbery
– With files by Joe Warmington
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