An investigation by the Toronto police led to six arrests, 63 charges and the recovery of 13 stolen vehicles, including six that were intercepted from a shipping container.
Last August, Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) Hold Up Squad began a probe into the theft and trafficking of motor vehicles.
On Sept. 13, 2024, a shipping container related to the investigation was intercepted and examined by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), police said.
There were six vehicles in the shipping container. Police said they were stolen from across the GTA, including Toronto.
Photos of the stolen vehicles provided by TPS show they are partially disassembled, or even gutted.
Police did not say where the shipping container was bound for.
Last Friday, the TPS Hold Up Squad executed six search warrants related to the investigation, during which eight more stolen vehicles were recovered. Those vehicles were stolen from Toronto, Halton, Durham and Ottawa.
Police also recovered a replica handgun, ammunition, a GPS jammer and “other items of evidentiary value related to the investigation.”
Charges were laid against Khalad Alazrak, 57, of Toronto; Wajdi Shamsa, 40, of Toronto; Belal Khaled Alazrak, 31, of Ajax; Mohammad Najjar, 28, of Toronto; Ahmad Khaled Ahmad Shawer, 27, of Toronto; and Metib Ali Awwad Elfawair, 20, of Toronto.
Some of the accused received bail hearings earlier this week. Others are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on March 18.
Auto thefts have increased across the GTA in recent years, leading governments and police forces to dedicate more resources to cracking down on the crime.
Charges laid include possession of property obtained by crime, trafficking of stolen property, tampering with vehicle identification numbers and possession of a device for the purpose of committing theft.
