Police are investigating the theft of more than C$20m ($15m) of gold and valuables from Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. It is believed the theft took place from a cargo facility at the airport.
Speaking on Thursday, Peel Police Inspector, Stephen Duivesteyn said the aircraft carrying the cargo arrived at the airport in the early evening of April 17. “As per normal procedure, the aircraft was unloaded and cargo was transported from the aircraft to a holding cargo facility,” Duivesteyn said, adding that the container had “a high-value shipment” that contained gold but was not exclusive to gold and contained other items of monetary value as well.
Duivesteyn said police are not treating the incident as a public safety matter and do not believe the traveling public to be in danger.
Toronto Pearson is often used to ship gold mined in the province of Ontario. On Thursday the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) issued a brief statement to acknowledge awareness of the theft. “The GTAA wishes to clarify that thieves accessed the public side of a warehouse that is leased to a third party, outside of our primary security line,” the statement read. “This did not involve access to Toronto Pearson itself and did not pose a threat to passengers or GTAA staff.”
