Amid increasing auto theft cases across the country, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) managed to recover 598 vehicles before they could be illegally shipped overseas, according to an OPP news release.
The recovery, part of Project Vector, took place last week and included 483 units from Ontario and 115 from Québec. The OPP’s report noted that around 75 per cent of the vehicles recovered from sea containers in Montréal are actually stolen in Ontario.
“These vehicles were destined to be exported overseas, to markets in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America,” said OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns in a statement. “PATT (the OPP-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing team) will continue to assist police and justice partners in identifying, disrupting and dismantling organized crime networks involved in vehicle crimes.”
The PATT and CBSA collaborated with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), as well as the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and Équité Association, to help with the vehicle recovery. This effort was also supported by the PATT’s joint forces operation partners, such as police services in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
“Project Vector is the culmination of a multi-jurisdictional operation and a prime example of how public and private partnerships can work together to combat auto theft,” said Bryan Gast, Vice President of Investigative Services at Équité Association, in a statement. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with the OPP, CBSA, SPVM, Sûreté du Québec and our other law enforcement partners” across the country.
