CANADIAN POLICE BUST INTERNATIONAL CAR THEFT RING INCLUDING GHANAIAN WITH 306 STOLEN VEHICLES RECOVERED
Canadian authorities have dismantled a sophisticated transnational vehicle theft and export syndicate after a two-year investigation that led to the recovery of 306 stolen vehicles valued at about 25 million Canadian dollars. Many of the vehicles were bound for markets in West Africa and the Middle East.
The operation, dubbed Project CHICKADEE, was led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) through its Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team, working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and several other law enforcement agencies.
Investigators say the probe uncovered a highly organised criminal enterprise that extended well beyond street-level car theft. The network involved freight forwarders, drivers, falsified shipping documents and complex international export routes.
Project CHICKADEE was launched in August 2023 after police recovered four stolen vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area. While the initial recovery appeared routine, further checks revealed links to a broader export operation.
Investigators found that stolen vehicles were being re-identified using altered Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs). These vehicles were matched with forged documents and packed into shipping containers for export through major Canadian ports.
As intelligence developed, authorities uncovered links to transnational organised crime groups, suggesting Ontario had become a key supply hub in a global auto theft network.
As the investigation widened, officers from the OPP PATT Team, the Organised Crime Enforcement Bureau and CBSA intelligence units began intercepting containers both in transit and at major ports in Montréal, Vancouver and Halifax.
Police said intervention at ports became critical, as recovery of stolen vehicles becomes extremely difficult once they leave Canada
Several agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Halton Regional Police and the Équité Association, supported the operation, underscoring the scale and complexity of the criminal network.
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