Toronto police announce 48 stolen cars recovered
Toronto police said Wednesday they recovered 48 stolen vehicles and arrested seven people as they detailed their latest attempt to crack down on the growing issue of auto theft in the region.
Investigators said information gathered during a drug and gun trafficking investigation launched last April led them to open a second investigation in August that focused on stolen vehicles. The two operations resulted in 150 charges being laid against those arrested, police said.
Staff Supt. Pauline Gray said the Greater Toronto Area has seen an increase in car thefts and related crimes.
“The Toronto Police Service has spoken many times about the massive increase in auto thefts in Toronto and across the GTA and how that is contributing to an increase in home invasions, violent robberies and gun violence throughout the region,” she said.
“Auto theft is among the top three revenue generators for organized crime groups, and it’s not an issue that police services can tackle alone.”
In the investigations discussed Wednesday — called Project Spectre and Project Paranoid — Gray said Toronto police officers worked with the Canada Border Services Agency, Halton Region police and York Region police.
The operations saw 20 stolen vehicles seized at a shipper location in Burlington, Ont., while another 20 were intercepted with the help of border agents in Toronto and Montreal. Police said undercover agents purchased five of the other vehicles seized in the investigation. Three more vehicles were found when search warrants were carried out.