By Trend News Line 2024-04-03 18:53:19.
Breadcrumb Trail LinksOntarioCrimeCanadaThe OPP estimates the value of the vehicles stolen in Ontario at $34.5 million
A significant breakthrough in the fight against auto theft has been made as a search of shipping containers in Montreal led to the recovery of 598 stolen vehicles, the majority of which were taken from Ontario before being illegally exported overseas.
The Ontario Provincial police, along with the Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), conducted a thorough search of hundreds of shipping containers at the Port of Montreal as part of an investigation known as Project Vector.
“Since December 2023, Project Vector has resulted in 390 shipping containers being inspected, leading to the recovery of 598 stolen vehicles,” the OPP announced on Wednesday. Of these vehicles, 483 were stolen from Ontario, amounting to a potential value of approximately $34.5 million. Additionally, 115 vehicles were found to have been taken from Quebec.
The recovered vehicles were linked to carjackings and home invasions, crimes that have been on the rise in recent years. It has been reported that stolen vehicles from Ontario are often loaded into containers and shipped from the Port of Montreal to various markets across the globe, including Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns of the OPP stated, “Project Vector has disrupted criminal networks that exploit the Canadian export market to sell stolen vehicles. PATT will continue to collaborate with police and justice partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle organized crime networks involved in vehicle crimes.”
As auto theft continues to pose a growing challenge in Ontario, Quebec, and beyond, there have been calls for the CBSA to take a more proactive role in preventing stolen vehicles from being shipped out of the Port of Montreal. Annie Beausejour, CBSA’s regional director general for the Quebec Region, emphasized the critical support provided by the agency to law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting these crimes.
“The work done by our border services officers is making a real difference in securing the supply chain and disrupting criminal activity at our borders,” Beausejour added.
Project Vector is an ongoing initiative, and individuals with information about auto theft are urged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
In a breakdown of where the recovered vehicles were stolen from in Ontario, the following numbers were reported:
– Toronto Police Service: 215
– Peel Regional Police: 125
– York Regional Police: 58
– Halton Regional Police Service: 19
– Durham Regional Police Service: 15
– Ontario Provincial Police: 13
– Ottawa Police Service: 12
– Hamilton Regional Police Service: 7
– Waterloo Regional Police Service: 5
– Woodstock Police Service: 2
– Barrie Police Service: 2
– South Simcoe Police Service: 2
– Niagara Regional Police Service: 6
– London Police Service: 1
– Guelph Police Service: 1
This significant development in the fight against auto theft highlights the importance of collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies to combat organized crime networks involved in vehicle crimes..
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