Airport workers among those arrested in $22 million Toronto airport gold heist

Six individuals were arrested in connection to last year's multi-million dollar gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport, informed the authorities.

Three other suspects are still at large with warrants issued for their arrest. All nine individuals face a combined total of over 19 charges.

An arrest warrants for three others was issued in what they described as an ‘inside job.’ 

On April 17, 2023, over $22 million in gold bars and foreign currency vanished from a secure storage facility at Toronto Pearson Airport. Police suspect the theft involved fraudulent paperwork. 

Also read: WATCH | Indonesia’s Ruang volcano erupts, forces evacuation of 800 to nearby islands

The valuables had just arrived on an Air Canada flight originating in Zurich, Switzerland.

At least two former Air Canada employees allegedly helped in the heist, police say. One is now in custody and an arrest warrant has been issued for the other.

Detective Sgt. Mike Mavity of Peel Regional Police said, “this was an inside job, they needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this theft.”

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for Air Canada, expressed gratitude for the diligent efforts of the police.

He said, “Air Canada commends the police for their thorough investigation into the recent incident at Toronto Pearson Airport. While the matter is now before the courts, we can confirm that two individuals identified by law enforcement were employed in our cargo division at the time. One individual left the company before today's arrests, and the other has been suspended.”

In September 2023, Pennsylvania authorities pulled over a rental car for a traffic violation. The driver who was from Canadian and was illegally in US, fled on foot. A search of the vehicle revealed firearms, and investigators later linked the man to the stolen cargo container from the Toronto gold heist, according to the ATF.

“A court-authorized search warrant for the vehicle led to the recovery of those firearms that were allegedly destined to be smuggled into Canada,” said Eric DeGree, an ATF special agent who spoke at the Peel Regional Police news conference, adding that 65 firearms were prevented from “being used in any number of violent crimes.”

Authorities have recovered a small portion of the stolen gold and cash after a search warrant executed in Ontario. Five crudely melted gold bangles, valued at approximately $90,000 were found during the search.