EARLIER this week, a cargo container full of gold and other valuables went missing from Toronto’s Pearson Airport.
The aircraft arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport early evening on Monday, April 17, 2023.
“As per normal procedure, the aircraft was unloaded and cargo was transported from the aircraft to a holding cargo facility. Once this cargo was offloaded at a holding facility, subsequent to its arrival, this high-value container was removed by illegal means from the holding facility,” said Stephen Vuivestern, Inspector Peel Regional Police.
Police refused to disclose which airline the aircraft belonged to with investigations still ongoing.
Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn estimated the cargo to be about 5-foot square in size when asked by reporters.
In addition, the amount of gold was also estimated to be about 1,630kg or 1.6 tonnes in weight, while the monetary value of the gold and other items inside the cargo was estimated at approximately 15 million US dollars or 20 million Canadian dollars.
In response, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) released a statement on Thursday saying,
“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.This did not involve access to Toronto Pearson itself and did not pose a threat to passengers or GTAA staff.”
Authorities do not consider the incident a public safety matter saying everybody can feel assured that operations are running smoothly and that there should be no concern.
As of now, the Peel Regional Police is unable to disclose further details about the matter.
Monday’s theft marks one of the biggest in Canada’s history.
So far, no arrests have yet been made and authorities say that the incident is an isolated one, adding that the traveling public should have no concerns traveling to and from Toronto’s Pearson Airport.
