Air Canada worker among 9 charged or sought over record airport gold heist
Carlos Osorio/Reuters
- Nine people have been charged or sought in connection with a big gold heist last year.
- The gold theft at Toronto Pearson airport was the largest in Canadian history, police said.
- 20 kilograms of gold and cash were stolen from a plane after it arrived from Zurich.
An Air Canada worker and several others have been charged or sought in connection with a huge gold heist at Canada's busiest airport in April last year.
The thieves stole 20 kilograms of gold bars worth about C$20 million ($14.5 million) and C$2.5 million of foreign currency, Peel County Police said in a statement.
Authorities said the gold and cash were taken from a cargo plane from Zurich, Switzerland after it landed at Toronto Pearson International Aiport and then put into a suspect's truck.
The 6,600 gold bars and the foreign currency were supposed to go to a bank in Toronto before being stolen.
"This particular theft has become the largest gold theft in Canadian history," Peel Regional Chief Nishan Duraiappah said at a news conference held in front of the suspect's seized truck.
It's "one we jokingly say belongs in a Netflix series," he added.
The heist was organized by people both inside and outside the airport facilities, police said.
Peel police have identified and charged or issued warrants for nine individuals with more than 19 charges.
Parmpal Sidhu, 54, an Air Canada employee, was charged with theft over $5000 and conspiracy to commit indictable offence.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Simran Preet Panesar, 31, a former Air Canada employee who was employed at the time of the theft. He gave the police a tour of the airport facility and later resigned from the airline, before being identified as a suspect.
Lead investigator Mike Mavity said the suspects "needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this theft."
Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told CBC that two suspects individuals worked for the airline's cargo division when the theft occurred.
"One left the company prior to the arrests announced today and the second has been suspended. As this is now before the courts, we are limited in our ability to comment further," he said.
Some of the stolen gold was melted down and used to buy illegal firearms, police said.
The Philadelphia Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives arrested a man in the United States who had 65 illegal firearms in his possession.
Canadian investigators also seized a kilogram of gold, smelting equipment, and cash worth about C$434,000.
Gold can be transformed in different forms, making it harder to track down once it's been stolen. This makes the precious metal a prime target for criminal gangs.
Earlier this year, Hong Kong customs officials found $10 million of gold hidden inside machinery on a cargo flight bound for Japan. In another case, last year, an adtech sales representative attempted to steal gold bars valued at $9 million before being intercepted by the FBI.