Toronto police bust car theft ring, recover 100 vehicles

Toronto police say they've dismantled an organized auto theft ring, arrested four men andrecoveredmore than 100 stolen vehicles after a months-longprobe calledProject Poacher.

Investigators from Toronto Police Service's53 Division announced the results of the investigation at a news conferenceFriday.

The project began in January 2024 with the goal of identifying and arresting members of the group, who were suspectedof stealing and re-registeringnumerous motor vehicles through a process known as re-vinning, Det.Daniel Kraehlingtold reporters.

During the investigation, Kraehlingsaid police learned the group wasconspiring with a former ServiceOntario employee whowas allegedly being paid to provide themwithfraudulent documents and licence plates.

"It's alleged that the suspects would provide the former employee with vehicle identification numbers (VINs)for vehicles that had previously been sold and exported out of the country,"Kraehlingsaid.

"In exchange for money, the former employee would then create new, legitimate-looking vehicle registrations and licence plates for these 'clean' VINs. These falsified documents were then used to re-vin the stolen vehicles, effectively disguising them and making them appear legitimate."

The re-vinned vehicles would then be sold to unsuspecting buyers through online marketplaces or used in other criminal activities around the city,Kraehlingsaid.

The purpose of re-vinning a vehicle, saidKraehling, is to create a domestic market for stolen vehiclesso they can be sold within Canada rather than exportedto another country.

Four men were arrested in May and now face a total of 28 charges, including participating in acriminal organization, fraud over $5,000, tampering withvehicle identification numbers and uttering forged documents, according to a news release.

Police say they seized more than 100stolen vehiclesworth approximately $9.5 million that werelinked to these individuals.Ofthose 100 vehicles, 21 werere-vinned luxury vehiclesvalued at approximately $1.8 million total. All of the vehicles were seized within an hour'sdrive of the centre of the city,Kraehlingsaid.

Auto theft surges in GTA

Auto theft has surged across the Greater Toronto Area in recent years.

Vehicle thefts in Toronto were up 24.7per cent last year compared to 2022, with 12,262recorded in 2023, according toToronto police's major crimes indicator dashboard. That steep increase followed a47.4 per cent jump in 2022from 2021.

There has also been arise in violent carjackings, according to multiple Ontario police forces.

Toronto police recommend that anyone looking to purchase a used vehicle obtain and analyzeits comprehensive vehicle history report.Re-vinned vehicles often have discrepancies, such as being the wrong colour or having inconsistent odometer readings, according to the news release.