(USNewsBreak.com) – A massive heist occurred at Toronto Pearson Airport in 2023. Gold bars worth approximately $14.5 million and $1.8 million in bank notes disappeared from a warehouse on the property. It took a year, but Canadian authorities have announced that 9 people are facing charges in the case.
According to Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said, “This story is a sensational one,” even joking that it “belongs in a Netflix series.” The gold disappeared in April 2023, and the thieves allegedly used part of the haul to purchase guns. Security guards gave warehouse access to a man holding a fake waybill. He loaded a container of gold and cash onto his truck and drove off with the contents.
“I’m proud to say that we successfully put an international gun trafficking operation out of business. We kept 65 firearms off the streets of Canada and prevented them from being used in any number of crimes.”
Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Chargehttps://t.co/WSb2mATd41— ATF Philadelphia (@ATFPhiladelphia) April 18, 2024
The warehouse had scheduled the container for delivery to a Toronto-based bank. Personnel only discovered the missing container when an armored truck arrived to collect it the next day. The management called the police, who launched a full-scale investigation.
Investigators tracked the truck driver in the heist to Pennsylvania five months later. He was driving a rental car when authorities pulled him over, and a search netted more than 60 guns, including two automatic rifles. That involved a separate investigation by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
All of the gold bars had serial numbers, which would have made them easy to track. However, authorities believed the thieves melted down the gold. Investigators recovered six bracelets allegedly made from the ingots, but the rest remain missing.
Those charged in the crime include:
- Parmpal Sidhu, 54
- Ali Raza, 37
- Amit Jalota, 40
- Ammad Chaudhary, 43
- Prasath Paramalingam, 35
- Durante King-Mclean, 25
- Simran Preet Panesar, 31
- Archit Grover, 36
- Arsalan Chaudhary, 42
Police have arrested Sidhu, Raza, Jalota, Ammad Chaudhary, and Paramalingam. A judge released them on bail pending trial. King-Mclean remains in custody in the US on the above gun trafficking charges, and the police are still searching for the other three.
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