Toronto police have seized more than 550 stolen vehicles, worth approximately $27 million, in a major police operation. Some of the cars in question had to pass through the Port of Montreal to be exported elsewhere in the world.
In connection with the investigation, conducted as part of the Toronto police’s Project Stallion, 119 people face a total of 314 criminal charges for their alleged role in the theft of the 556 cars recovered by law enforcement.
According to what the police force explained during a press conference held on Wednesday, several cars were seized in the Toronto area, but they were stored in containers which were to facilitate their transport to the port of Montreal.
It was from the Quebec metropolis that the cars had to be exported by boat and then resold in much more lucrative markets elsewhere in the world.
Toronto investigators said those arrested worked in small cells, but were all tied to the illegal car resale market.
Two weeks ago, 53 stolen vehicles were seized at the Port of Montreal during an operation by the Canada Border Services Agency in partnership with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
The vehicles seized were mostly luxury sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks with an estimated total value of nearly $2.6 million.
The stolen vehicles were intended to be sold abroad, according to the SPVM.
Since the beginning of 2023, 252 stolen vehicles have been seized at the Port of Montreal, according to data from the Montreal police force. Of this number, almost 76% were from Ontario.
