Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: No new date or venue has been set for the meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff, and no negotiations will take place until the outcome is guaranteed
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted

Police investigate $20m cargo stolen from Toronto airport

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 21 Apr 2023 11:44
3 Min Read

Peel Regional Police said on Thursday evening that the gold and other items were stolen on Monday after containers were unloaded from an aircraft.

  • x
  • Peel Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn speaks to the media regarding a theft at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ont., on Thursday, April 20, 2023.  (THE CANADA PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey)
    Peel Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn speaks to the media regarding a theft at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Thursday, April 20, 2023. (The Canada Press/Arlyn McAdorey)

Police in Canada are investigating a daring heist involving nearly CAD20 million (US$14.8 million) in gold and other "high value" items at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

Peel Regional Police said on Thursday evening that the gold and other items were stolen on Monday after containers were unloaded from an aircraft. “An aircraft arrived here at the airport in the early evening. As per normal procedure, the aircraft was unloaded and cargo was transported from the aircraft to a holding cargo facility,” inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said while announcing the theft.

"What I can say is that the container [had] a high-value shipment. It did contain gold but was not exclusive to gold and contained other items of monetary value."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were also investigating the theft, which was one of the largest in Canadian history. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority declined to comment, citing an "active police investigation."

Northern Ontario goldmines frequently ship bullion through the city's airport, which handles nearly half of the country's air cargo.

Related News

Delta plane flips upside down, crashes in Toronto, 8 wounded

Netanyahu's request to ban 'The Bibi Files' screening at TIFF rejected

Read next: $200,000 stolen from a vehicle...in dimes!

Duivesteyn refused to call it a "professional" job at this time, saying the investigation was ongoing and that the incident was isolated. The intended destination of the stolen cargo was not identified by police, nor was the gold confirmed to be still in the country. “This is very rare,” Duivesteyn said. However, this isn’t the first time a Toronto-area airport has made headlines for a gold heist.

On September 25, 1952, $215,000 in gold bullion was stolen from Malton Airport, the predecessor to Pearson. It was the largest gold robbery in Canadian history at the time. In today's dollars, the theft would be worth $2.3 million.

Six wooden boxes of gold were stolen from a steel cage in the airport's cargo area before being loaded onto a plane bound for Montreal during the heist. “It just seemed to vanish,” one investigator told the Toronto Star at the time. The seemingly perfect crime, with no witnesses, was never solved.

Trans-Canada Air Lines was renamed Air Canada in 1965, the same airline that is suspected of being the victim of Monday's theft.

Previous high-value heists have targeted a priceless photograph as well as the country's vast maple syrup stash. Richard Vallières, the mastermind, stole $17 million in syrup from a Quebec warehouse in 2014, part of the province's strategic reserve. 

The heist spawned both a wide-ranging investigation - which eventually led to his capture - and a Hollywood screenplay.

  • Toronto
  • Canada
  • Gold
  • theft

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS