Toronto police bust car theft ring, recover 100 vehicles

Toronto police say they've dismantled an organized auto theft ring, arrested four men and recovered more than 100 stolen vehicles after a months-long probe called Project Poacher.

Investigators from Toronto Police Service's 53 Division announced the results of the investigation at a news conference Friday.

The project began in January 2024 with the goal of identifying and arresting members of the group, who were suspected of stealing and re-registering numerous motor vehicles through a process known as re-vinning, Det. Daniel Kraehling told reporters.

During the investigation, Kraehling said police learned the group was conspiring with a former ServiceOntario employee who was allegedly being paid to provide them with fraudulent documents and licence plates.

"It's alleged that the suspects would provide the former employee with vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for vehicles that had previously been sold and exported out of the country," Kraehling said.

"In exchange for money, the former employee would then create new, legitimate-looking vehicle registrations and licence plates for these 'clean' VINs. These falsified documents were then used to re-vin the stolen vehicles, effectively disguising them and making them appear legitimate."

The re-vinned vehicles would then be sold to unsuspecting buyers or used in other criminal activities around the city, Kraehling said.

Four men were arrested in May and now face a total of 28 charges, including participating in a criminal organization, fraud over $5,000, tampering with vehicle identification numbers and uttering forged documents, according to a news release.

Police say they seized more than 100 stolen vehicles worth approximately $9.5 million that were linked to these individuals. Of those 100 vehicles, 21 were re-vinned luxury vehicles valued at approximately $1.8 million total.

Auto theft has surged across the Greater Toronto Area in recent years.

Vehicle thefts in Toronto were up 24.7 per cent last year compared to 2022, with 12,262 recorded in 2023, according to Toronto police's major crimes indicator dashboard. That steep increase followed a 47.4 per cent jump in 2022 from 2021.

There has also been a rise in violent carjackings, according to multiple Ontario police forces.