Eleven suspects face 96 criminal charges for their roles in a criminal group that stole luxury cars in Ontario and shipped them to former Soviet republics.
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York, Ontario Regional Police revealed this major raid on Monday as part of an investigation that has been underway since October 2023.
PROVIDED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE
In addition to arresting the suspected thieves, 11 men aged 20 to 64, all of whom reside in southern Ontario, police recovered 52 vehicles with an estimated value of $3.2 million.
According to police, the thieves stole luxury cars in the Toronto area and the southwest of the province. The criminal group then sent its loot abroad, as far away as Georgia and Azerbaijan.
PROVIDED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE
This new series of arrests comes as the Liberal government announced plans to hold a national summit to combat the scourge of car thefts in February.
In Quebec alone, 10,595 vehicles were stolen in 2022, compared to 7,690 in 2021, according to data from Groupement des Assureurs Automobiles.