Files - The Canadian Press
York Regional Police (YRP) say they have charged 11 people including a 64-year-old from Bradford with nearly 100 charges after a months-long investigation into an alleged car theft ring.
According to police, the value of the 52 vehicles is more than $3.2 million.
The group allegedly used residential areas to store vehicles that had been stolen out of the Greater Toronto Area and southwestern Ontario.
"The prolific crime group was targeting high-end vehicles and trafficking them with planned destinations as far away as Azerbaijan and Georgia," according to a YRP news release.
Six search warrants were executed in December 2023 and January 2024 in Vaughan, Toronto, London, Cambridge and Bradford resulting in the recovery of 52 stolen vehicles.
Charges against the suspects include theft of a motor vehicle, trafficking in property obtained by crime, possession of property obtained by crime, possession of automobile master key and possession of break-in instruments.
Details of the bust comes a day after the federal government said it would convene political leaders, law enforcement and auto industry executives next month to try to slow the rise in auto thefts in most major cities.
Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced the plan for a national summit to address auto theft on Sunday, saying it would be an opportunity to "take action to deal with something that's increasingly becoming a concern in every part of the country."
LeBlanc said he had discussed the issue with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in recent days.
A spokesperson for the premier said Ford had spoken to the federal minister on the matter several times in the past few months.
In a letter sent to LeBlanc in the fall, Ontario's Solicitor General, Michael Kerzner, said the province has seen a "staggering increase" in violent vehicle thefts over the last few years. Citing insurance industry group Équité Association, Kerzner said vehicle theft was up by over 48 per cent in Ontario year over year, and violent carjackings have increased by 78 per cent from 2021 to 2022.
The solicitor general asked Ottawa to increase the number of outbound inspections at ports, among other things.
Banner image supplied - York Regional Police
