Police arrest 6, seek 3 others in Canada’s largest gold heist
- The suspects in the theft of US$16 million in gold bars and currency from the airport in Toronto include 2 Air Canada employees
- Investigators believe the perpetrators melted down the precious metal then used profits from its sale to buy firearms
Canadian and US authorities said on Wednesday six people have been arrested and three more are being sought in connection with what they called the largest gold heist in Canadian history – a cargo of over C$22 million (US$16 million) in gold and currency.
The suspects, including two Air Canada employees, forged an airway bill to steal a cargo arriving from Switzerland of 6,600 gold bars weighing 400kg (882 pounds) and C$2.5 million in foreign currency, police officials said.
Speaking exactly one year after the heist, which took place at an Air Canada cargo facility at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Peel regional police at a press briefing named the nine suspects and detailed the 19 charges they face.
Five suspects were arrested in Canada and released on bail pending trial. One suspect, originally from Brampton, Ontario, was arrested in Pennsylvania along with firearms and remains in custody in the United States. Canada-wide warrants have been issued for the remaining three suspects, police said.
Air Canada said it had suspended one cargo division employee charged in the theft while the other, who worked in the same department at the time of the heist, had left the airline before the charges were announced.