Toronto Pearson International Airport heist

On April 17, 2023, a grand theft occurred at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, with over C$20 million (US$15 million) worth of gold and other high-value items being stolen.[1][2] In the evening of Monday, April 17, a container which contained the items was offloaded off an inbound aircraft according to normal procedures and transferred to an airport holding facility before it was "removed by illegal means", according to Peel Regional Police.[3][4] An anonymous source familiar with the investigation confirmed to CTV News Toronto that the container was offloaded off an Air Canada aircraft and was subsequently transferred to an Air Canada holding facility at Pearson Airport, but this has not been fully confirmed by Peel Regional Police.[5] No suspects have been identified.[6][7]

Toronto Pearson International Airport heist
Toronto Pearson International Airport Theft flight lines
DateApril 17, 2023 (2023-04-17)
LocationToronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates43°40′36″N 079°37′50″W
OutcomeMore than C$20 million of items stolen
MissingGold and other high-value items

Investigation

On April 20, 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that Peel Regional Police is investigating the theft at the airport.[6] The Greater Toronto Airport Authority said in a brief statement that it is an ongoing investigation and cannot provide additional comments.[8] Peel Regional Police inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said their team is investigating "all avenues" and described the incident as "isolated" and "very rare".[9][7] He also said that the container holding the valuables was 0.46 square metres (5 square feet) in size.[10] Police were not able to confirm the final destination of the cargo nor if the theft was related to organized crime or professional thieves.[11] They were also not sure if the items are still in the country.[11][12] On April 21, The Globe and Mail reported that Air Canada Flight 881, departing Zurich, Switzerland on April 17 at 1:53 PM local time and arriving in Toronto at 4:05 PM local time, was the aircraft carrying the valuables. Flight 881 was operated by an Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER, the largest aircraft in Air Canada's fleet, and was registered as C-FITL. Neither Air Canada nor Peel Regional Police have confirmed this. This was later confirmed in the legal documents of the October 2023 lawsuit filed by Brink's to Air Canada.[13][14]

The company responsible for handling the money is Brink's.[15]

Lawsuit

On October 11, 2023, Miami-based Brink's filed a CAD $20 million lawsuit against Air Canada for the negligent handling and care of the items in which it was commissioned to handle. The lawsuit alleges that Air Canada handled the cargo "negligently and carelessly" following its offloading from an Air Canada flight on April 17.

The lawsuit states that on April 14, 2023, Brink's was commissioned by Swiss bank Raiffeisenbank and Swiss precious metals refining company Valcambi to move more than 400 kilograms of gold bars (valued at nearly $20 million CAD in April 2023) and nearly $2 million US dollars in bills from the Swiss city of Zurich to Toronto. On April 17, the cargo was moved onto Air Canada Flight 881, a Boeing 777-300ER flying from Zurich International Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport. According to data published by Flightradar24, Flight 881 departed Zurich at 1:25 PM Central European Time and arrived in Toronto at 3:56 PM Eastern Standard Time the same day. Following the arrival of Flight 881, the cargo was offloaded from the aircraft at approximately 4:20 PM and arrived at an Air Canada holding facility on airport grounds around 5:50 PM. The lawsuit alleges that there were "no security protocols in place" and that at 6:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, an unidentified individual was able to gain access to this Air Canada holding facility by using a fake document and handing it to Air Canada personnel who were working at the facility during the heist. Brink's alleges that "without verifying the authenticity of this document in any way, and upon receipt of the fraudulent waybill, AC (referring to Air Canada) personnel released the shipments to the unidentified individual, following which the individual absconded with the cargo." They allege that Air Canada "failed to follow through with appropriate security measures, despite charging higher shipping rates for its 'secure service'. The airline neglected to provide storing facilities equipped with effective vaults and cages, constant CCTV surveillance and active human surveillance personnel."

Following the theft, Brink's reached out to Air Canada on April 27 to let them know that they were demanding a full reimbursement of the costs it sustained during the heist, but no response was received. The Miami-based company is seeking legal action in Canadian federal court, and in addition to the full reimbursement of the costs it sustained, it is also demanding an unspecified amount in special damages and legal fees.

As of October 12, 2023, Air Canada has declined to comment to any media sources and has not released any statement regarding the matter. The heist, regardless of the lawsuit, is still a criminal investigation under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Peel Regional Police, whom have also neglected to release any statement regarding the lawsuit or further information regarding the investigation since April 20, 2023.[16][17]

See also

References
  1. "$20M worth of gold and other 'high value' items stolen from Pearson airport, police say". CBC News. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. Williams, Nia (20 April 2023). Reese, Chris (ed.). "Canadian police investigating C$20 million gold heist at Toronto airport". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  3. Casaletto, Lucas (20 April 2023). "Peel police say $20M worth of gold, other goods stolen from Toronto Pearson Airport". CityNews. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  4. Habibinia, Mahdis; Rankin, Jim (20 April 2023). "Peel police investigating heist of over $20 million in gold and high-value goods from Pearson airport". The Star. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  5. "Air Canada was handling cargo stolen at Toronto's Pearson Airport, source confirms". 21 April 2023.
  6. Jackson, Hannah (20 April 2023). "Container with $20M in gold, 'high value' items stolen in Pearson airport heist". Global News. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  7. "Massive gold heist at Pearson International Airport investigated by Mounties". National Post. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  8. "$20 million in gold, high-value goods stolen in heist at Toronto Pearson Airport". CP24. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  9. "Police probe theft of more than $20M of gold, goods at Pearson airport". nationalpost. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  10. Halpert, Madeline (20 April 2023). "Toronto airport gold heist: Police says $15m of valuables stolen". BBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  11. "Nearly $15 million of gold and valuables stolen in heist from Toronto's Pearson Airport". CBS News. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  12. Cecco, Leyland (21 April 2023). "Canada gold heist: police investigating $20m of 'high-value' cargo stolen from Toronto airport". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  13. Atkins, Eric; Norman, Pippa; McGee, Niall (21 April 2023). "Zurich to zero - How Pearson's $15 million robbery unfolded". The Globe & Mail.
  14. "Former investigator reveals theory on police's radio silence since Toronto Pearson gold heist". CP24. 21 April 2023.
  15. Woodward, Jon; Alberga, Hannah (17 May 2023). "New details emerge about who was co-ordinating $20M shipment stolen in Toronto gold heist". CTV News. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  16. "Air Canada is being sued for $20 million by Miami-based Brink's in relation to April's heist at Canada's largest airport". CBC News. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  17. "Fake document used in April's Toronto-Pearson heist, a new lawsuit against Air Canada alleges". Global News. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.