Canadian police on Wednesday he said that they arrested six people accused of participating in a large-scale theft of gold and other valuables that occurred on April 17, 2023, at a Toronto airport warehouse. On that occasion, more than 6,500 gold bars weighing approximately 400 kilos were stolen, along with millions of dollars in cash. The value of the stolen gold was estimated at approximately 20 million Canadian dollars (the equivalent of approximately 13 million euros). According to Canadian police, it is the largest gold theft in Canadian history.
The investigation that Canadian law enforcement agencies have been carrying out alongside U.S. forces over the past year has been called “Project 24K” and had remained largely secret until a news conference on Wednesday. In addition to the arrests, police said they recovered C$90,000 worth of gold and more than C$430,000 in cash. 65 guns and several gold melting tools were also seized. Among those arrested are two employees of the airline that was supposed to transport the stolen gold, Air Canada, and a man suspected of being the driver of the criminal group. The latter was arrested in September in the United States after police stopped him for a traffic violation and found weapons in his car.
Arrest warrants have been issued for three other people accused of the theft. Police never released details about who owned the stolen cargo, but a few months after the theft, Brink’s International, a U.S.-based security firm charged with coordinating the shipment of the gold, sued Air Canada.
– Read also: The Great Gold Heist at Toronto Airport, Canada