According to Canadian police, over $20 million of gold was stolen at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. Currently, police have not divulged much information for fear it may hinder the investigation.
Gold heist in Toronto
A container carrying the gold arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport early Monday evening. According to Sky News, the container had over 1.6 tons of gold, but other reports say the police still need to unveil the actual amount. The airline and aircraft that carried the cargo are also unnamed, as the information could complicate the investigation.
The cargo container which contained the gold was unloaded from the aircraft and transported to a cargo holding facility at the airport, where it was stolen. Police do not believe this was a professional hit, but they are still investigating.
"We feel this to be an isolated incident. Therefore, for the travelling public that are concerned about coming and flying out, they should have no concern. We do not consider this to be a public safety matter." - Insp. Stephen Duivesteyn, Spokesperson,
Unfortunately, no other information is available right now.
Previous airport heists
Santiago, Chile - 2023
Early last month, Chilean authorities foiled an attempted $32 million heist at Santiago de Chile’s Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL). On March 9, a dozen criminals were able to access a restricted area of the airport and steal three trucks, beating a security officer. That morning, a LATAM Airlines flight had arrived from Miami International Airport carrying about $32.5 million and was due to be transported by Brinks.
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Police were able to stop the thieves, but not before a shootout, resulting in two deaths, one a security officer and the other a criminal. The way this criminal act was executed showed they had excellent planning and high firepower, said Raúl Jorquera, director of the Chilean Civil Aviation General Directorate, during a press conference. The criminals were able to get away, but by then, Chilean authorities had two possible suspects.
New York City - 2020
In 2020, a crew of two truckers pulled off two heists at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, just five months apart. In January, David Lacarriere, who previously worked at the airport, used his inside knowledge to get access to a cargo facility. A document was forged to pick up a Prada shipment, which did exist and amounted to over $800,000. Two others assisted Lacarriere and his partner in taking four pallets of merchandise.
On May 17, the crew did the same thing, forging documents and acting like transporters. That time, their score was much larger than in January. They got away with almost $4.4 million of Chanel and Gucci products. In June, investigators tracked the crew down to a location in Jamaica, where some of the stolen merchandise was stored. Lacarriere and his partner in crime, Oscar Asencio, pleaded guilty to the crimes in a Queens Court and were sentenced to years in prison.
Sources: Sky News, CBC, NBC New York