Canada- Major gold heist at Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario, April 2023

[dotr]

LILLEY: Huge Pearson heist takes $22 million from major Canadian bank

Two of Canada's most recognizable companies are said to be victims of the theft according to a confidential memo.

torontosun.com

''It’s the kind of stuff movies are made of — a robbery from a supposedly secure facility, a huge amount of gold now missing and a mystery about who is behind it.
Except this isn’t the script of a movie, it’s something that happened at Canada’s biggest airport this week.''

''Peel Regional Police have enlisted the help of the RCMP following a massive gold heist at Pearson airport. Earlier this week, someone made off with 3,600 pounds of gold being moved through the airport. Pearson is often used to move gold mined in Ontario to customers around the world.

At current spot prices for gold, that would put value of the heist at more than $100 million.''

''Several organized crime groups are known to have either people or allies placed at Pearson, monitoring their activities and controlling them is close to a full-time job.

The truth, though, is that at this point, investigators don’t know who stole the gold. It could be organized crime or it could be someone who took the chance to pull off one of the biggest robberies in Canadian history simply by stumbling upon the situation.''

 

[dotr]

Massive gold heist at Pearson International Airport investigated by Mounties

The Toronto Sun reported earlier Thursday that 3,600 pounds of gold being moved through the airport had been stolen

nationalpost.com

''The airport did not respond to a request for comment. Peel Regional Police, who are responsible for the area, asked for the Mounties’ help, the RCMP said.
The Toronto Sun reported earlier Thursday that 3,600 pounds of gold being moved through the airport had been stolen. The newspaper said the theft was likely linked to organized crime, citing an unnamed police source.''

“We are still trying to get accurate information on the heist,” an RCMP spokesperson. PHOTO BY BLOOMBERG

 

[PrairieWind]

Oceans 11? or I guess this would be Oceans 14?

 

[MrsWatson]

First thing that came to mind was the Lufthansa heist, which may also be familiar from Good Fellas.

Lufthansa heist - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dotr]

Container with $20M in gold, ‘high value’ items stolen in Toronto Pearson airport heist | Globalnews.ca

Peel Regional Police Insp. Stephen Duivesteyn said an aircraft landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on the evening of April 17.

globalnews.ca

''Peel police are confirming an investigation after a shipping container containing roughly $20 million in gold and other high-value items vanished from Toronto Pearson International Airport in what RCMP are referring to as a “gold heist.”

Peel Regional Police Insp. Stephen Duivesteyn said an aircraft landed at the airport on the evening of April 17.
Duivesteyn said cargo from the plane, including the container was transported to a holding facility.
He said the “high value” container was then removed “by illegal means” from the facility.''

 

[JennieM]

The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, United Kingdom, on 26 November 1983 and was one of the largest robberies in British history. £26 million (equivalent to £93.3 million in 2021[1]) worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash was stolen from a warehouse operated by Brink's-Mat, a former joint venture between US security company Brink's and London-based company MAT Transport. The bullion was the property of Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd. Micky McAvoy and Brian Robinson were convicted of armed robbery. Most of the gold has never been recovered. Lloyd's of London paid out for the losses, and several shooting deaths have been linked to the case.

Brink's-Mat robbery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[musicaljoke]

Container with $20M in gold, ‘high value’ items stolen in Toronto Pearson airport heist | Globalnews.ca

Peel Regional Police Insp. Stephen Duivesteyn said an aircraft landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on the evening of April 17.

globalnews.ca

''Peel police are confirming an investigation after a shipping container containing roughly $20 million in gold and other high-value items vanished from Toronto Pearson International Airport in what RCMP are referring to as a “gold heist.”

Peel Regional Police Insp. Stephen Duivesteyn said an aircraft landed at the airport on the evening of April 17.
Duivesteyn said cargo from the plane, including the container was transported to a holding facility.
He said the “high value” container was then removed “by illegal means” from the facility.''

Well, they didn't just tuck it under their arm and walk away. Someone used a bit of equipment to move that load. It would have weighed at least 700 pounds.

 

[dotr]

''THE BIG HEISTS: Airports have spewed untold riches to criminals''​

 

[LadyL]

this will lead back to insiders

 

[MrsWatson]

Canada gold heist: police investigating $20m of ‘high-value’ cargo stolen from Toronto airport

The cargo was reported missing on Monday after arriving on an aircraft early in the evening, police say

www.theguardian.com

“What I can say is that the container [had] a high-value shipment. It did contain gold but was not exclusive to gold and contained other items of monetary value.”

****

Goldmines from northern Ontario often ship bullion through the city’s airport, which handles nearly half of the country’s air cargo.

Duivesteyn said he wouldn’t call it a “professional” job at this time, adding that the investigation was ongoing and the incident was isolated. Police did not identify the intended destination of the stolen cargo, nor did they confirm the gold was still in the country.



What was the other high value cargo? Silver? Art? Jewels?

I have a feeling the gold is long gone from Canada, and already melted down and in a completely different form now.

Well, King Charles' coronation is coming up, Canada is a British holding, does KC need a new crown?

(kidding if that's not clear)

 

[JDG]

Canada gold heist: police investigating $20m of ‘high-value’ cargo stolen from Toronto airport

The cargo was reported missing on Monday after arriving on an aircraft early in the evening, police say

www.theguardian.com

“What I can say is that the container [had] a high-value shipment. It did contain gold but was not exclusive to gold and contained other items of monetary value.”

****

Goldmines from northern Ontario often ship bullion through the city’s airport, which handles nearly half of the country’s air cargo.

Duivesteyn said he wouldn’t call it a “professional” job at this time, adding that the investigation was ongoing and the incident was isolated. Police did not identify the intended destination of the stolen cargo, nor did they confirm the gold was still in the country.



What was the other high value cargo? Silver? Art? Jewels?

I have a feeling the gold is long gone from Canada, and already melted down and in a completely different form now.

Well, King Charles' coronation is coming up, Canada is a British holding, does KC need a new crown?

(kidding if that's not clear)

One report said it was gold and banknotes.

IMO, an inside job.

 

[dotr]

Lengthy article, rbbm.

LILLEY: The gold heist, the restaurant and the cops strange language

Going over the words police used to describe the gold heist, looking at the facility where it happened and the area around it.

torontosun.com

''When we think of a heist, we often think of a robbery that includes armed men forcibly removing the items they wish to take. It doesn’t sound like that was the case in this instance.

The use of that phrase also raises questions about whether this was simple theft, the taking of something without force or the threat of it. Police are often precise in their language, so those words stick out like a sore thumb.''

Across the street from the cargo facility is a restaurant popular with workers in the airport area. You can pop in for a quick hamburger, pork chop, souvlaki or even order their ribeye steak special for $39.95. It’s an unusual and eclectic place that draws all kinds of people for the food.

It’s also a spot popular with the armoured car drivers who service the airport. In addition to grabbing a bite, they often park out back waiting for their allotted pick-up time at the cargo facility.

This restaurant’s parking lot also offers the only clear shot straight across Airport Rd. and into the cargo facility from the northside.''

Looking at this from the outside, as someone without the knowledge police have, there is little that makes sense about this heist. From the outside, it seems like an inside job, it seems like something that organized crime would be involved in, but that may not be the story here.

''One of the few pieces of pushback I’ve received from police officials was when I speculated that organized crime may be involved in the heist.
“Why would you publish that?” I was asked.
The reason is that it seems to be the simple answer.
That pushback on organized crime and the strange language describing the removal of the goods perhaps means this is more complicated than a simple crime.

There remains more questions than answers.''

 

[dotr]

Lol, Canada is truly become one big melting pot. Of gold!!
rbbm. imo.

HUNTER: Multi-ethnic Gen Z mobsters eyed in $20M gold heist?

Once upon a time, the organized crime milieu was splintered into various ethnic enclaves. Mostly the Italians, Irish and Jews.

torontosun.com

Once upon a time, the organized crime milieu was splintered into various ethnic enclaves.
Mostly the Italians, Irish and Jews. Sometimes they worked together (see bootlegging and Las Vegas), sometimes not.''
No more.
The astonishing $20 million gold heist at Pearson Airport was allegedly organized by South Asian mobsters, sources told The Toronto Sun. But with each step of the robbery fraught with peril and grave potential to be caught, the hijackers would have needed help.''

“This is Generation Z organized crime,” Nicaso said. “They’re more fluid, more open and more likely to work together. My guess in the airport robbery the criminals are multi-ethnic.”

''Nicaso said mobsters in 2023 have strategic alliances across the country — and over international borders. And they are computer savvy.

Cocaine from British Columbia — via Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel — is shipped to Ontario via the Hells Angels or local traffickers. Meth from clandestine Ontario labs is shipped west.''

“In British Columbia, the Wolfpack and the UN Gang (both multicultural to a tee) are linked to other Indo-Canadian organized crime groups who are linked to the Hells Angels,” Nicaso said.

“These alliances are extremely important, particularly if you throw in the Mexican cartels. This is what we should expect in the future of organized crime … more the idea of a hybrid criminal organization.”

 

[dotr]

May 12 2023 rbbm lengthy article.
by Brian Lilley

LILLEY: Does no arrests mean the gold heist perps got away with it?

It's almost a month since more than $20 million in gold was stolen at Pearson but no arrests. Does that mean they got away with it?

torontosun.com

''Where is the gold?
It’s been just about a month since the great gold heist at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and at this point, there have been no arrests and no updates from police or anyone else involved.''

Mysteriously, some $22 million in gold, banknotes and perhaps other high-value goods simply vanished.
Does that mean the gold is gone? Does it mean whoever is behind this got away with it?
We don’t know is the only realistic answer at this point.''

''It seems like an obvious inside job but Scott Andrew Selby, co-author of Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History and a researcher into high-end thefts, said in an interview Friday that the insider theory sounds plausible but may not be accurate.''

''He said police will be looking for all sorts of factors, including people suddenly living beyond their means or someone along the trading chain slipping up.
“As time progresses there are more and more people becoming aware of this and all it takes is someone in this network to start spending ostentatiously,” Selby said''

''If they were more daring, they may have shipped the gold across country to the Port of Vancouver, using connections to the Hells Angels to, again, get the shipment on a boat to secondary gold markets like Dubai or Mumbai.''
“It’s a different kind of smart to pull off a heist than it is to keep it quiet after the fact,” Selby said.''

 

[tarabull]

Cracking the $20-million Pearson airport gold heist: Full Comment podcast

Scott Andrew Selby joins host Brian Lilley this week to discuss what we know about how the recent Pearson heist went down

nationalpost.com

 

[dotr]

By Ben Spurr City Hall Bureau, Mahdis Habibinia Staff Reporter
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
2 min to read
Article was updated 5 mins ago

New details emerge in Pearson gold, cash heist as Brink’s files lawsuit against Air Canada

The company hired to co-ordinate the shipment says it demanded full reimbursement from the airline in April but didn’t receive a response

www.thestar.com

''A U.S.-based security company is suing Air Canada over a major heist at Pearson International Airport this spring, claiming the airline allowed a thief to walk out of a warehouse with more than $20 million in cash and gold by presenting a phoney waybill.
In a statement of claim filed at the Federal Court of Canada, Brink’s International alleges Air Canada was “reckless” and failed to enact proper security measures to prevent the April 17 robbery, which made international headlines and remains unsolved.
The company’s Oct. 6 claim, which offers new details about how the company believes the brazen theft unfolded, has not been tested in court. Air Canada has not yet filed a statement of defence, and a spokesperson for the airline said Tuesday it couldn’t comment on the case while it’s before the courts.''

 

[MistyWaters]

Man oh man, unbelievable how easy AC made the heist.

New details about $20M Toronto airport gold heist revealed in Brink's suit against Air Canada

The lawsuit paints the clearest picture yet of how April’s Pearson Airport gold heist was allegedly pulled off after months of silence

nationalpost.com

“……..The lawsuit paints the clearest picture yet of how April’s airport gold heist was allegedly pulled off after months of institutional silence from police, the airline, and others involved in the theft that made headlines around the world…..

…..In April, a Swiss bank called Raiffeisen Schweiz, hired Brink’s to transport cash — banknotes with a value of US$1,945,843, weighing 53.18 kilos — from Zurich to Toronto, according to Brink’s statement of claim.

The money, declared as “BANKNOTES”, was being shipped to the Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange, according to the lawsuit.

Around the same time, Valcambi SA, a precious metals refining company in Switzerland, hired Brink’s to transport 400.19 kilos of gold — valued at more than $20.4 million — to Toronto.

The gold, declared as “GOLDBARS”, was being sent to the Toronto Dominion Bank in Toronto, the suit says.

The two shipments were combined into one air cargo container about the size of a large office desk….

……“At approximately (6:32 p.m.), an unidentified individual gained access to AC’s cargo storage facilities. No security protocols or features were in place to monitor, restrict or otherwise regulate the unidentified individual’s access to the facilities,” the lawsuit claims.

“Once inside, the unidentified individual presented to AC personnel the copy of an airway bill respecting an unrelated shipment.

“Upon receipt of the Fraudulent Waybill, AC personnel released the Shipments to the unidentified individual, following which the unidentified individual absconded with the cargo,” the lawsuit claims.

“AC accepted the Fraudulent Waybill from the unidentified individual without verifying its authenticity in any way….”

 

[MrsWatson]

Thank you for that very informative article, @MistyWaters.

So pretty much anyone can create a waybill, and away we go!

That's pretty scary on many levels.

 

[musicaljoke]

Well, I guess the Swiss won't be using Air Canada any more, along will just about every Canadian who has ever been on an AC flight. :/

 

[dotr]

Peel police probe potential link between Quebec gold seizure and gold heist at Pearson

Peel police say they're in contact with Quebec law enforcement about any connections between the recent seizure of gold and cash in Laval and the theft of $20 million in

www.thestar.com

ByJason Miller December 27, 2023

''Peel police are probing whether a recent Montreal police cash and gold seizure has any connections to a multimillion-dollar gold heist at Pearson International Airport.
Peel's interest in the Quebec-based seizure comes on the heels of The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) announcing that it had "dealt a heavy blow," to an "alleged network of firearms traffickers," during a series of raids that netted gold and cash in Montreal and Laval last week.''

''During the Montreal-area raids that netted drugs, nine firearms and resulted in seven people being charged with a various offences including firearms and drug trafficking, SPVM investigators also confirmed the recovery of "approximately $500,000 in cash and a large amount of gold."

The exact value of the seized precious metals has yet to be determined, "but it is believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars," stated a release from Service de police de la Ville de Montréal.''