Achi news desk-
Police say one former and one current Air Canada employee are among nine suspects facing charges in connection with the Pearson International Airport heist last year.
At a press conference Wednesday on the anniversary of the heist, police confirmed that five suspects had been arrested and four others were facing charges in connection with the largest gold heist in Canadian history.
Police said the suspects face a total of 19 charges and warrants have been issued across Canada for the arrest of three of the suspects who have yet to be apprehended. All suspects arrested in connection with the robbery have been released on bail, police confirmed in a press release issued Wednesday.
Phil Region police chief Nishan Durayapa said the robbery was “carefully planned” by a “well-organized group of criminals”.
“This story is a sensational story and apparently, we say jokingly, belongs in a Netflix series,” he said.
Police said 6,600 gold bars were stolen from Air Canada’s cargo facility on the evening of April 17, 2023 by a suspect who arrived at the warehouse in a five-tonne delivery truck.
The gold, along with about $2.5 million in foreign currency, was shipped to Toronto from Zurich in the body of an Air Canada plane and unloaded at an Air Canada cargo facility shortly after the flight landed at Pearson Airport that afternoon.
Police say the suspect got his hands on the stolen gold and bank notes after presenting Air Canada with a fake air fare bill.
“The airway bill was for a legitimate shipment of seafood that had been picked up the day before,” Sgt. Mike Mavitti, the principal case manager for the joint investigation, known as Project 24K, told reporters Wednesday.
“This duplicate air invoice was printed from a printer inside Air Canada luggage.”
A suspect vehicle and a suspect vehicle are photographed during a press conference about a gold heist at Parsons Airport. (Article/Piling Police)Mawiti said a forklift arrived shortly after and loaded the stolen gold and currency into the back of the truck. The suspect then drove off with the gold bars, which were valued at approximately 20 million dollars.
Brinks Canada, which was hired to provide security and logistics services to transport the shipment, showed up at the facility a few hours later to pick up the items, police said.
According to investigators, when Air Canada employees tried to locate the container, they realized it was missing and quickly launched an internal investigation. Police were notified of the stolen goods shortly before 3 a.m. the next day, Mawiti said.
Air Canada is launching a test
An exhaustive investigation followed, police said, with officers examining video surveillance footage from 225 businesses and residences in an effort to trace the path of the truck, which has since been recovered.
Mawiti said that last summer, they identified 25-year-old Durante King-McLean as the driver of the truck but were unable to locate him.
In September 2023, Mavity said King-McLean was pulled over in a rental car by Pennsylvania State Police near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
“After a short foot chase, he was arrested and officers located 65 illegal firearms in the vehicle,” Mawiti said Wednesday.
According to Mawiti, investigators believe the stolen gold was melted down and sold and the proceeds were used to purchase illegal guns for a firearms trafficking operation.
He said members of Project 24K have been in contact with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) regarding this aspect of the investigation.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, an ATF representative said the law enforcement agency believes the 65 guns seized during King-McLean’s arrest were destined for Canada.
While King-McLean is currently in custody in the United States, he is currently wanted on several charges in connection with the theft of the gold.
“We allege that some individuals who participated in this gold theft are also involved in aspects of the firearms trade,” Mawiti added.
Gold taken during a robbery at Pearson Airport is seen loaded into the back of the suspect’s truck in this photo taken from surveillance footage released by police. (Kilpa area police)Police in the Peel region executed 37 search warrants in connection with the 24K project and police said only a small amount of the gold was found. Six gold bracelets, valued at approximately $89,000, were seized, jewelry that police believe was made from some of the stolen gold. The police said that during the investigation, $434,000 in Canadian currency was also seized. Police believe that money was obtained through the sale of some of the stolen gold.
Two “debt lists” were found by investigators in separate locations during the investigation, police said.
“A common term in drug trafficking investigations, we believe these lists actually show where the money is distributed when the gold is sold by the suspects,” Mawiti said.
According to him, the names on both lists are “consistent” and the police is trying to identify all those who have been identified.
Six pure gold bracelets with an estimated value of $89,000 were recovered as part of a gold theft investigation at Toronto Pearson Airport and are shown in this photo from Peel Police. (handout)
“They needed people inside Air Canada”
Police said one current Air Canada employee, identified as 54-year-old Brampton resident Prampal Sidhu, has been charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for 31-year-old Simran Preet Penser, who police say resigned as an Air Canada executive this summer.
“He has been known to us since the beginning of the investigation. He was actually leading a patrol for the Phil Regional Police before we knew of his involvement,” Mawiti said on Wednesday.
He added that police had an idea where Panesar might be but did not elaborate on a possible location.
Mawiti said he believes the suspects needed insiders to pull off the robbery.
“Because of their position within Air Canada, in my opinion, yes they needed people within Air Canada to facilitate this theft,” he said.
A map showing the alleged movements of vehicles during a gold heist at Toronto Pearson Airport is shown during a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Delivery / Peel Police)
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