Cars from a dealership in Petawawa were identified as cars stolen in a massive take-down of a car-jacking ring.
Of the almost 500 cars identified by project Shildon as stolen by the ring, 7 were said to have been stolen from a dealership in Petawawa. Police would not comment on where the vehicles were stolen. The vast majority of cars were stolen from the North York and Ottawa regions, as well as many other places in Eastern Ontario. Police say these cars were then loaded onto container ships in Montreal and shipped overseas to Africa.
Police say they have recovered 97 of the vehicles stolen. Police also recovered drugs like cannabis, MDMA, ecstasy and methamphetamine. Weapons and tools used for vehicle theft were also recovered. As a result of the investigation, 360 charges have been laid against 20 residents of Quebec ranging from the ages of 80 to 16. These charges include motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, break and enter, mischief and conspiracy to commit indictable offences. Police say the investigation took around 5 months to complete.
Bill Dickson, media relations officer with the OPP, says the operation was very organized, with some groups targeting dealerships while others dealt with individuals. While Dickson did say that some cars were broken into using pirated fob technology, the majority of the cars were stolen simply because they were left unlocked and then hot-wired. Dickson stressed to the public that all cars should be locked at all times. He says that theft prevention is a team effort, and and locking doors minimizes the risk of a car being stolen.
The operation involved a variety of law enforcement organisations including OPP, the Canadian Border Service Agency, the Insurance Bureau of Canada, York Regional Police and police services from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Laval among others. Dickson says that the law enforcement agencies are also coordinating with police overseas. However, despite the scale, Dickson says that this operation has put a dent in the stolen car business. He says there could be more out there that could lead to larger busts of similar organizations. In the meantime, he says police will follow whatever lead comes up and follow them to their fruition. Dickson said he would not speculate on how far these investigations could go.