ALERT Canadian police charge 9 suspects in historic $20 million airport gold heist

[Knoxville's Joker]

Canadian police charge 9 suspects in historic $20 million airport gold heist

One year after a brazen gold heist at the Toronto airport, nine suspects have been charged in an investigation police said "belongs in a Netflix series."

www.cbsnews.com

Canadian police charge 9 suspects in historic $20 million airport gold heist​

By April Alexander April 17, 2024 / 1:04 PM EDT / CBS News

One year after a brazen gold heist at the Toronto airport, nine suspects have been charged in an investigation police said "belongs in a Netflix series."

In total, 6,600 gold bars weighing over 800 pounds, worth an estimated $20 million, and about $2.5 million in foreign currencies were stolen from Toronto Pearson International Airport in April 2023. At the time, police described the case as "very rare." Now they call it the largest gold heist in Canadian history.

In a news conference Wednesday, police said 19 charges had been laid in the joint investigation — dubbed Project 24K — involving Peel Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Five suspects, including an Air Canada employee, were arrested then released with conditions and will appear in court at a later date. A warrant was issued for another man who was also an employee of the airline at the time of the theft. In addition to the warrant for the former employee, two more Canada-wide warrants were issued for those not yet apprehended.

Police said the gold arrived on an afternoon flight from Zurich, Switzerland, on April 17, 2023. The container with the valuable shipment was then taken from the Air Canada plane and brought to a cargo facility. One of the suspects was able to gain entry to the facility, load the items onto a delivery truck and drive away. Police said the driver presented a fraudulent airway bill, a document with details on a shipment.

Sgt. Mike Mavity of the Peel Police in Canada speaks to the media about arrests made in the theft of $20 million in gold from Toronto's Pearson International Airport, as part of Project 24Karat, a joint investigation with U.S. federal agents, on April 17, 2024. RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES
Later in the evening, Brink's Canada, the company hired to transport the gold, arrived to collect the shipment and found that it had already been taken. Brink's sued Air Canada in October, saying the airline failed to properly secure the cargo, according to The Toronto Star newspaper.



Police said the driver of the truck was identified as 25-year-old Durante King-McLean, who is in custody in the United States. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in September after state troopers found 65 firearms in his rental vehicle.

"We are alleging that some individuals who participated in this gold theft are also involved in aspects of firearms trafficking," lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Mike Mavity said.

Police seized six crudely made gold bracelets during the investigation, valued at around $89,000. Mavity said smelting equipment, used to melt down the stolen gold bars to disguise them as items like bracelets, was also seized. A jewelry store owner is among those arrested.

The theft was bigger than a 1990 heist at Montreal's Dorval Airport that netted $13.7 million in gold and other valuables.

 

[Hfcomms]

All that for a barbarous relic that nobody has any use for.

 

[West]

All that for a barbarous relic that nobody has any use for.

Yeah, and they even made cheap jewelry out of some of it.

Don't think Mr.T would approved. Probably how they got caught.

 

[greysage]

Where's the gold now?

 

[CaryC]

There are a couple of odd things in the OP:

Five suspects, including an Air Canada employee, were arrested then released with conditions and will appear in court at a later date.

If I was a lying cheating robber I would totally agree voluntarily to appear in court to be sent to jail.

One of the suspects was able to gain entry to the facility, load the items onto a delivery truck and drive away.

One guy loaded

In total, 6,600 gold bars weighing over 800 pounds,

Must look like Aaaaaarnold.

Probably just the way the thing was written up, but still it sounded weird.

 

[tanstaafl]

One guy loaded

Must look like Aaaaaarnold.

Probably just the way the thing was written up, but still it sounded weird.

I assume the guy presented the paperwork and the facility used a forklift to load pallets onto a truck. That's usually the way those things work. Or possibly, they brough the load to his truck and he transferred it right at the tailgate. Keep in mind that the $20 million in gold was, according to the story itself, only about 800 regular pounds. (I would've guessed about 750 regular pounds with gold priced at $1,800 per troy ounce, but toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.) And cash is surprisingly heavy when it's tightly bound together with those bands, with, of course, the total weight being dependent on the denominations.

 

[Housecarl]

Apparently the stolen shipment was of 1 Oz bars and was an inside job with too many people involved.

 

[Macgyver]

I assume the guy presented the paperwork and the facility used a forklift to load pallets onto a truck. That's usually the way those things work. Or possibly, they brough the load to his truck and he transferred it right at the tailgate. Keep in mind that the $20 million in gold was, according to the story itself, only about 800 regular pounds. (I would've guessed about 750 regular pounds with gold priced at $1,800 per troy ounce, but toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.) And cash is surprisingly heavy when it's tightly bound together with those bands, with, of course, the total weight being dependent on the denominations.

50 pounds is nothing considering it was probably in some sort of palletized crate.

 

[West]

50 pounds is nothing considering it was probably in some sort of palletized crate.

Back of a napkin,.... today 8500 Troy ounces of gold is worth about $20,400,000 fiat dollars. And would weigh about 582 pounds.

For $20+ million I could pack that in less than 3 loads. I would bust a nut granted. But another hernia operation is only about $50k.

If I had a good dolly I could do it in one load.

Soon $20 million in gold will be only a couple hundred pounds, the way its going. A full grown man could carry that in a backpack.

 

[tanstaafl]

1 troy ounce = 0.068571435626221 pound (since you're for sure gonna need that out to fifteen decimal places!)

Even at my age I'd be more than happy to move 50 lb boxes ten feet on 16 trips if it meant I was going to get $20 million for the effort. It's always a little surprising to me how many people seem to think $1 million in gold must take up a lot of space and weigh a lot, when in fact for many years now it would easily fit in the passenger seat of just about any car (even a Smart Car). At $1,800 per ounce (seeing as how the robbery was not committed at today's spot price) that's really only about 550 troy ounces and just under 40 pounds (assuming I did my math correctly).

 

[Sportsman]

Why did they let them? Makes no sense to me.

 

[Griz3752]

Back of a napkin,.... today 8500 Troy ounces of gold is worth about $20,400,000 fiat dollars. And would weigh about 582 pounds.

For $20+ million I could pack that in less than 3 loads. I would bust a nut granted. But another hernia operation is only about $50k.

If I had a good dolly I could do it in one load.

Soon $20 million in gold will be only a couple hundred pounds, the way its going. A full grown man could carry that in a backpack.

I've got an excellent dolly!

 

[Griz3752]

Price was 14-15 million when 1st reported last year but I saw one story said it was 22.5 million.
Adjusted for inflation or rising price/ oz.??

 

[Knoxville's Joker]

Why did they let them? Makes no sense to me.

They were muslims supposedlymplants to get money to buy weapons.

 

[Griz3752]

Canadian police charge 9 suspects in historic $20 million airport gold heist

One year after a brazen gold heist at the Toronto airport, nine suspects have been charged in an investigation police said "belongs in a Netflix series."

www.cbsnews.com

Canadian police charge 9 suspects in historic $20 million airport gold heist​

By April Alexander April 17, 2024 / 1:04 PM EDT / CBS News

One year after a brazen gold heist at the Toronto airport, nine suspects have been charged in an investigation police said "belongs in a Netflix series."

In total, 6,600 gold bars weighing over 800 pounds, worth an estimated $20 million, and about $2.5 million in foreign currencies were stolen from Toronto Pearson International Airport in April 2023. At the time, police described the case as "very rare." Now they call it the largest gold heist in Canadian history.

In a news conference Wednesday, police said 19 charges had been laid in the joint investigation — dubbed Project 24K — involving Peel Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Five suspects, including an Air Canada employee, were arrested then released with conditions and will appear in court at a later date. A warrant was issued for another man who was also an employee of the airline at the time of the theft. In addition to the warrant for the former employee, two more Canada-wide warrants were issued for those not yet apprehended.

Police said the gold arrived on an afternoon flight from Zurich, Switzerland, on April 17, 2023. The container with the valuable shipment was then taken from the Air Canada plane and brought to a cargo facility. One of the suspects was able to gain entry to the facility, load the items onto a delivery truck and drive away. Police said the driver presented a fraudulent airway bill, a document with details on a shipment.

Sgt. Mike Mavity of the Peel Police in Canada speaks to the media about arrests made in the theft of $20 million in gold from Toronto's Pearson International Airport, as part of Project 24Karat, a joint investigation with U.S. federal agents, on April 17, 2024. RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES
Later in the evening, Brink's Canada, the company hired to transport the gold, arrived to collect the shipment and found that it had already been taken. Brink's sued Air Canada in October, saying the airline failed to properly secure the cargo, according to The Toronto Star newspaper.



Police said the driver of the truck was identified as 25-year-old Durante King-McLean, who is in custody in the United States. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in September after state troopers found 65 firearms in his rental vehicle.

"We are alleging that some individuals who participated in this gold theft are also involved in aspects of firearms trafficking," lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Mike Mavity said.

Police seized six crudely made gold bracelets during the investigation, valued at around $89,000. Mavity said smelting equipment, used to melt down the stolen gold bars to disguise them as items like bracelets, was also seized. A jewelry store owner is among those arrested.

The theft was bigger than a 1990 heist at Montreal's Dorval Airport that netted $13.7 million in gold and other valuables.

Durante King-McLean is the odd man out in this group but considering he was arrested in the US with something like 75+ illegal firearms I’m betting he’s of Caribbean (Jamaica/Bermuda/Bahamas) origins and well known along the Jane Street corridor in Toronto.

Air Canada employee Parmpal Sidhu, 54 Indian
Jewelry store owner Ali Raza, 37 Pakistani (Muslim anyway)
Amit Jalota, 40, Pakastani/Muslim
Ammad Chaudhary, 43, Indian
Prasath Paramalingam, 35, Malaysian ethnic Indian

Apparently ON Police are looking for another Air Canada employee, possibly a warehouse manager but "he can't be found in Canada."

Considering India, Pakistan and Malaya are all very fond of PMs as fairly non-traceable fiscal hedges (not so very different than many we all know) I wonder how much of the loot will be found/recovered.

STILL AT LARGE:
Archit Grover
Simran Preet Panesar

The rogues gallery thus far:

9 charged in $20M gold heist at Pearson airport, some with ties to U.S. gun trafficking: police

Last year, Brinks International sued Air Canada, alleging a suspect accessed Pearson Airport's cargo facilities using a fraudulent document.

toronto.citynews.ca

Apparently King-McLean, Grover & Paramalingam are involved in the firearms caper where King-McLean was arrested in the US.
Those three will get real time in the US if convicted and will likely ask to serve theire time in Canada where there'll be additional penalties but,up there, think of a stern lecture and severe knuckle smacks.