York Regional Police say they have recovered 64 stolen vehicles valued at $3.5 million that were found inside shipping containers in Malta “ready to be sold illegally.”
The vehicles have since been repatriated, with assistance from the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) and the Malta Port Authority.
Police believe all the vehicles were stolen from driveways in the Greater Toronto Area by members of a car theft ring which was part of an investigation called ‘Projected Majestic.” A total of 18 people were previously arrested as part of the probe in March 2021. At the time police also seized 70 stolen vehicles worth $4.5 million.
Police say the stolen vehicles were high-end, including Lexus, Toyota and Honda SUV’s.
“The suspects entered the vehicles and reprogrammed ignition computers, allowing them to be driven away utilizing a new key. The vehicles were driven directly to the Port of Montreal or loaded into shipping containers in Toronto and transported to Montreal by rail. The containers were then loaded onto ships and vehicles delivered to buyers in Africa and the United Arab Emirates,” police said in a news release on Friday.
There is no word if charges will be laid in connection with the vehicles that were recovered in Malta.
Police say the investigation is “ongoing.”
Banner image: Recovered vehicles in Malta/York Regional Police
