Toronto Pearson International Airport Heist

On April 17, 2023, a grand theft occurred at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, with over C$20 million ( US$15 million) worth of gold and other high-value items being stolen. In the evening of Monday, April 17, a container which contained the items was offloaded off an inbound aircraft according to normal procedures and transferred to an airport holding facility before it was "removed by illegal means", according to Peel Regional Police. An anonymous source familiar with the investigation confirmed to CTV News Toronto that the container was offloaded off an Air Canada aircraft and was subsequently transferred to an Air Canada holding facility at Pearson Airport, but this has not been confirmed by Peel Regional Police. No suspects have been identified.

The gold was bound for the Canadian bank Toronto-Dominion Bank while the cash was enroute to the Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange.

Investigation

On April 20, 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that Peel Regional Police is investigating the theft at the airport. The Greater Toronto Airport Authority said in a brief statement that it is an ongoing investigation and cannot provide additional comments. Peel Regional Police inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said their team is investigating "all avenues" and described the incident as "isolated" and "very rare". He also said that the container holding the valuables was 0.46 square metres (5 square feet) in size. Police were not able to confirm the final destination of the cargo nor if the theft was related to organized crime or professional thieves. They were also not sure if the items are still in the country.
On April 21, ''The Globe and Mail'' reported that Air Canada Flight 881, departing Zürich, Switzerland on April 17 at 1:53 PM local time and arriving in Toronto at 4:05 PM local time, was the aircraft carrying the valuables. Flight 881 was operated by an Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER, the largest aircraft in Air Canada's fleet, and was registered as C-FITL. Neither Air Canada nor Peel Regional Police have confirmed this. This was later confirmed in the legal documents of the October 2023 lawsuit filed by Brink's to Air Canada.

The company responsible for handling the money is Brink's.

Lawsuit

On October 11, 2023, Miami-based Brink's filed a CAD $20 million lawsuit against Air Canada for the negligent handling and care of the items in which it was commissioned to handle. The lawsuit alleges that Air Canada handled the cargo "negligently and carelessly" following its offloading from an Air Canada flight on April 17.

The lawsuit states that on April 14, 2023, Brink's was commissioned by Swiss bank Raiffeisenbank and Swiss precious metals refining company Valcambi to move more than 400 kilograms of gold bars (valued at nearly $20 million CAD in April 2023) and nearly $2 million US dollars in bills from the Swiss city of Zürich to Toronto. On April 17, the cargo was moved onto Air Canada Flight 881, a Boeing 777-300ER flying from Zurich Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport. According to data published by Flightradar24, Flight 881 departed Zürich at 1:25 PM Central European Time and arrived in Toronto at 3:56 PM Eastern Standard Time the same day. Following the arrival of Flight 881, the cargo was offloaded from the aircraft at approximately 4:20 PM and arrived at an Air Canada holding facility on airport grounds around 5:50 PM. The lawsuit alleges that there were "no security protocols in place" and that at 6:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, an unidentified individual was able to gain access to this Air Canada holding facility by using a fake document and handing it to Air Canada personnel who were working at the facility during the heist. Brink's alleges that "without verifying the authenticity of this document in any way, and upon receipt of the fraudulent waybill, AC (referring to Air Canada) personnel released the shipments to the unidentified individual, following which the individual absconded with the cargo." They allege that Air Canada "failed to follow through with appropriate security measures, despite charging higher shipping rates for its 'secure service'. The airline neglected to provide storing facilities equipped with effective vaults and cages, constant CCTV surveillance and active human surveillance personnel."

Following the theft, Brink's reached out to Air Canada on April 27 to let them know that they were demanding a full reimbursement of the costs it sustained during the heist, but no response was received. The Miami-based company is seeking legal action in Canadian federal court, and in addition to the full reimbursement of the costs it sustained, it is also demanding an unspecified amount in special damages and legal fees.

As of October 12, 2023, Air Canada has declined to comment to any media sources and has not released any statement regarding the matter. The heist, regardless of the lawsuit, is still a criminal investigation under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Peel Regional Police, neither of which had released any statement regarding the lawsuit or further information regarding the investigation since April 20, 2023.

See also

* Ken Leishman, mastermind behind the largest gold theft in Canada
* Lufthansa heist, which occurred at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Canada

2023 crimes in Canada
Aviation accidents and incidents in 2023
Aviation accidents and incidents in Canada
Toronto Pearson International Airport
April 2023 events in Canada
2023 in Ontario
2023 in Toronto
Crime in Toronto
Robberies in Canada