Canadian police have finally put together the puzzle pieces of a brazen heist from a cargo warehouse in Toronto that involved thousands of gold bars and millions of dollars of cash. Nine arrests were made, including an Air Canada employee: this was an inside job.

Air Canada Employee Arrested For Role In Historic Gold Heist At Toronto Airport

The theft originally occurred at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) in April 2023. A special cargo container loaded onto an Air Canada flight from Zurich (ZRH) contained millions of dollars worth of gold bars and banknotes. Upon landing at YYZ, the container was transferred to a secure cargo facility.

Pick-up by Brinks was scheduled for the next day, but two hours later another truck driver showed up with an Air Canada-printed waybill (document detailing the shipment) and was successfully able to obtain possession of the container. It was only when the Brinks truck showed up the next morning that the theft was discovered.

By then the truck driver had disappeared. Police believe the gold bars, which had serial numbers, were melted down to be crafted into jewelry. A jeweler in Toronto has been arrested, with bracelets believed to be from the melted gold bars seized and smelting pots also found.

An Air Canada employee suspected of printing the waybill and facilitating the deal has also been arrested. So has the truck driver, who was found in the USA carrying a truck full of guns:

Per the New York Times:

The man who drove the truck used in the gold theft was arrested in Pennsylvania in September after a police officer stopped a rental car he was driving for a traffic violation and found 65 guns, two of which were fully automatic rifles. The man has been charged with conspiracy to illegally traffic firearms into Canada.

The working theory is that the melted gold and banknotes were used to buy firearms in the USA, which the driver was trying to bring back into Canada. Handwritten notes located by the police detailed payouts for various people confirmed the conspiracy.

CONCLUSION

With so many parties involved, it is no wonder that the conspiracy eventually crumbled…stealing and disposing of 6,600 gold bars is no easy task. The plot was complex and involved guns, money, transborder shipping, and an Air Canada employee. I have a feeling that future gold bar pickups in Canada will not be delayed overnight…

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