April 3, 2024 – Montreal
An estimated 598 stolen vehicles have been recovered in Montreal’s Port
Organized crime was dealt a stern blow today, as police say they have uncovered an estimated 598 stolen vehicles stashed in shipping containers in the port of Montreal.
It would seem that the majority of the recovered stolen vehicles are vehicles that were stolen from various parts of Ontario, then brought to Montreal to be smuggled out of the country on cargo ships. Montreal’s Port has long been known for its organized crime, largely for its geographical location along the St. Lawrence river – a major seaway and shipping lane.
See Also: Two Quebec residents accused of smuggling weapons from the US into Canada
Of the 598 vehicles that were recovered, 430 were taken from the Greater Toronto Area and the sum of the recovered stolen vehicles is estimated to have a worth of around $34.5 million dollars. While the inter-provincial police task force, dubbed “Project Vector”, has been successful in locating stolen vehicles – it has yet to yield any arrests to go along with its vehicle haul. Investigations are ongoing.
In late February of this year, the Federal government announced it was allocating $15 million dollars to combat the recent rise in auto theft, and it would seem that has paid dividends. The money was to be used to fund the Canada Border Services Agency and give them a greater capacity to detect and search containers suspected of harvesting stolen vehicles for illegal export to foreign nations.
“While we are proud of what we have accomplished as a part of Project vector, our work is far from done,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns told reporters at a news conference. “We are developing new partnerships to enhance the provincial auto theft and towing team. We are deploying additional frontline resources to interdict stolen vehicles, and we’re making great strides in ongoing auto theft investigations.”
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Vehicle theft across Canada has become more and more common over the last few years, with the federal government being chastised for its lack of action in combatting the crime wave. Now, finally, Canadians can rest easier, knowing that investigations are reaping results.
In 2022, more than 105,000 vehicles were stolen across Canada – with the majority of thefts taking place around the province of Ontario, mainly in the greater Toronto area. That’s one vehicle stolen every five minutes.
