MAJOR AUTO THEFT INVESTIGATION TARGETS EXPORT ENABLERS

Organized Crime and Money Laundering Charges Laid

(MISSISSAUGA, ON) – Law enforcement has dismantled an auto theft criminal organization by focusing not only on vehicle theft, but also on the illegal exportation of stolen vehicles through freight forwarding companies. As part of Project CHICKADEE, 306 stolen vehicles destined for foreign markets such as the Middle East and West Africa have been recovered.

Today, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the dismantling of a criminal organization involved in facilitating the movement of stolen vehicles from Canada to destinations overseas. The accused include owners/operators of several registered businesses within the freight forwarding sector, as well as individuals allegedly involved in the theft of vehicles across Ontario. The criminal organization and the associated network span internationally.

Project CHICKADEE began in August 2023 after members of the OPP-led PATT Team recovered four stolen vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area. Evidence indicated the involvement of freight forwarding companies and drivers, utilizing registered businesses and fraudulent documentation to ship stolen vehicles to the Middle East and West Africa. Further investigation revealed the criminal organization had international reach and association to transnational organized crime groups.

The OPP PATT Team, the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) and the CBSA Intelligence and Investigations Operations Division (IIOD) jointly continued this investigation. Shipping containers were inspected in transit and at the Port of Montréal, the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Halifax in an effort to halt the shipment of stolen vehicles by this criminal organization. Équité Association, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) provided assistance throughout Project CHICKADEE.

As part of Project CHICKADEE, four search warrants were executed in Toronto, Vaughan, Woodbridge and Etobicoke on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Officers seized $30,000 in Canadian currency, one re-VINed vehicle, two other vehicles as offence-related property, key programmers and various Ontario licence plates. One individual was arrested and charged with four auto theft-related Criminal Code (CC) offences. Two individuals fled from police and were later apprehended.

On Thursday, November 27, 2025, search warrants were executed at 23 residential and industrial locations and 13 vehicles in the GTA and surrounding area, including Brampton, Scarborough, Waterloo, Bolton, Oshawa, Oakville, Mississauga, Innisfil, Toronto, and Milton, as well as one search warrant in Saint-Eustache, Québec.

Search warrants were executed by members from:

OPP PATT Team and partners, including:
Toronto Police Service (TPS)
HRPS
York Regional Police (YRP)
Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS)
London Police Service
Niagara Regional Police Service
Windsor Police Service
Sûreté du Québec
Ottawa Police Service
Peel Regional Police
Brantford Police Service
CBSA IIOD
OPP OCEB
OPP Community Street Crime Units
OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit
OPP Canine
OPP Emergency Response Team
OPP Provincial Operations Intelligence Bureau
Mississauga, Caledon, Toronto and 407 OPP Detachments
OPP Highway Safety Division Highway Enforcement Team
YRP Emergency Response Unit
TPS Emergency Task Force
DRPS Tactical Support Unit
Equité Association

As a result of the joint-forces investigation, the following items were seized/recovered:

306 stolen vehicles, with a combined value of approximately $25 million
Three firearms
Various provincial licence plates
On-board diagnostic reader
Numerous key fobs and assorted vehicle keys
Vehicle shipping documentation
Other equipment including two forklifts and two tractor-trailer cabs
More than $190,000 CAD
More than $32,000 USD
Electronic devices including cell phones, laptops and hard drives

Twenty individuals have been arrested and charged with 134 offences contrary to the Criminal Code, the Customs Act and the Cannabis Act, including the two individuals who fled from police on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Please see the attached Addendum of Charged Persons for further information on the accused, their respective charges and court status.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) provided financial intelligence disclosures that were essential to the success of the investigation. The OPP Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit has also been engaged to investigate any proceeds of crime offences and assist in the seizure of offence-related property.

The OPP remains committed to working with partners to protect communities, reduce victimization from property crimes such as vehicle theft and prevent stolen vehicles from leaving Canada.

Anyone with any information in relation to this investigation or auto theft activity should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

RESOURCES

Media resources including b-roll video clips, photos and a graphic can be found at opp.ca/downloads/projectchickadee.zip.

QUOTES

“Auto theft fuels organized criminal networks and threatens the safety of our communities, impacting families, businesses and neighbourhoods across Ontario. Today’s announcement marks a significant victory against organized auto theft in Ontario. Through Project CHICKADEE, the Ontario Provincial Police, alongside the Canada Border Services Agency and our policing partners, have dismantled a sophisticated criminal network involved in exporting stolen vehicles overseas. This operation recovered 306 stolen vehicles and uncovered links to transnational organized crime on a global scale. Today we have sent a clear message: Ontario will not be a source for criminal profit.”

• OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique

“Project CHICKADEE is an excellent example of collaboration with different levels of law enforcement, both Provincial and Federal, uniting with a common goal of identifying, disrupting and prosecuting criminal networks who pose a very real threat to our communities. We will continue to leverage our wide array of border enforcement expertise in intelligence, criminal investigations, and national targeting at ports of entry to advance these investigations.”

• Lisa Janes, CBSA Regional Director General, Greater Toronto Area Region

“The OPP and partner agencies are to be commended on the tremendous success of Project CHICKADEE. This is a powerful example of how government investments, great collaborative work, and public-private partnerships are having a significant impact to combat vehicle crimes in Canada. These are financially motivated crimes, and organized criminal networks are at the root seeking to profit from the $1 billion of vehicles stolen every year in Canada. Équité Association is proud to partner with the OPP, CBSA and other agencies across the country to hold criminals accountable and protect Canadian communities.”

• Bryan Gast, National Vice President, Investigative Services, Équité Association

ABOUT THE PATT TEAM

While vehicle theft is not new, the levels of violence, intimidation and incidents involving firearms used to steal vehicles represents a new and evolving threat to public safety. With the support of the Government of Ontario and our partners, the PATT Team will lead proactive, intelligence-based organized crime investigations, bringing charges against those responsible for serious vehicle crimes and violence within the towing industry.