Multiple police forces have teamed up to recover 598 vehicles before they were illegally exported out of Montreal.
The Ontario Provincial Police-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing Team, the Canada Border Services Agency, and multiple Quebec-based police forces recovered the vehicles.
The CBSA regularly works with the Sûreté du Québec, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and Équité Association to search sea containers suspected of containing stolen vehicles.
“Auto theft is a growing challenge in Ontario, Québec and across the country,” said Regional Director General, Quebec Region, Canada Border Services Agency, Annie Beauséjour. “The Canada Border Services Agency provides critical support to law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these crimes. The leadership of policing partners and their upfront, preventative and investigative work – within Canada and ahead of reaching our borders – is imperative to reduce auto theft.” – Annie Beauséjour, Regional Director General, Quebec Region, Canada Border Services Agency
The operation dubbed Project Vector has resulted in 390 shipping containers being inspected and 598 vehicles being recovered, with 463 from Ontario and 115 from Quebec.
Approximately 75 per cent of vehicles recovered from shipping containers in Montréal are identified as stolen in Ontario.
The following is a list highlighting what police services the stolen vehicles were reported to before being recovered as part of Project Vector:
- 215 – Toronto Police Service
- 125 – Peel Regional Police
- 58 – York Regional Police
- 19 – Halton Regional Police Service
- 15 – Durham Regional Police Service
- 13 – Ontario Provincial Police
- 12 – Ottawa Police Service
- 7 – Hamilton Regional Police Service
- 6 – Niagara Regional Police Service
- 5 – Waterloo Regional Police Service
- 2 – Woodstock Police Service
- 2 – Barrie Police Service
- 2 – South Simcoe Police Service
- 1 – London Police Service
- 1 – Guelph Police Service
The recovered vehicles identified as stolen in Ontario have a potential value of approximately $34.5 million and have been connected to different types of vehicle crimes, including carjackings and home invasions.
Further investigation into these stolen vehicles remains ongoing.
