(Toronto) On a cool, rainy April day, a thief broke into Air Canada’s glass warehouse at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, presented a false document and left with about $23 million in gold and cash.
Published at 6:29 p.m. Updated at 9:18 p.m.
That’s the allegation in a lawsuit Brink’s filed against Canada’s largest airline following a gold theft in Toronto last spring.
In court papers, the US security company claims an “unidentified individual” gained access to the airline’s cargo warehouse on April 17 and presented Air Canada staff with a “fraudulent” bill of lading – a document typically issued by an airline containing shipping details becomes.
The employees then handed over 400 kilograms of gold worth around 13.6 million Swiss francs, or more than 20 million francs, as well as almost two million in cash to the thief, who quickly “escaped with the load,” the statement said.
Brink’s is claiming breach of contract and is demanding damages of around 23 million euros as well as special damages.
The forged document was actually a copy of an “air freight invoice for an unrelated shipment,” according to the lawsuit filed Friday in federal court, which Glen McGregor first reported on Substack.
The lawsuit claims Air Canada was “negligent” and failed to take “appropriate security measures” to prevent the theft of the cargo.
The airline declined to comment on the case as it is still pending in court. The airline has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit and its allegations have not yet been tested in court.
Two Swiss companies – precious metal refinery Valcambi SA and retail bank Raiffeisen Switzerland – hired Brink’s to ensure the security and logistics of expensive packages – gold and cash, respectively – and to compensate them for any losses, the lawsuit says.
In mid-April, Brink’s arranged for Air Canada to fly the cargo from Zurich to Toronto.
It was delivered to Toronto Airport shortly before 4 p.m. on April 17, dropped off at a local Air Canada warehouse at 5:50 p.m. and picked up by the mysterious thief, who arrived about 40 minutes later, according to documents.
A police investigation is underway, there have been no arrests so far and the shipments have still not been confiscated, according to the statement.