Update: Police make another arrest in gold heist at Pearson International Airport
Investigators made another arrest in connection with the $22.5-million gold-for-guns theft at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year.
Jalisa Edwards of Fort Lauderdale was arrested in Florida on April 18 and charged with aiding a Canadian man who is accused of buying guns in the U.S. to smuggle into Canada using the profits from the stolen Air Canada shipment of 400 kilograms of gold.
Police have made arrests in connection with the theft of $24-million in gold and cash from an Air Canada warehouse at Toronto Pearson International Airport a year ago.
Peel Regional Police and the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau will announce the arrests and details of the investigation at a news conference on Wednesday morning, Peel police said, without providing details.
Thieves made off with the container containing $21-million in 24 gold bars and $2.7-million in cash from a cargo warehouse adjacent to the airport on the evening of April 17, 2023. The cargo had just arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich. The shipment was arranged by Brink’s.
From 2023: Zurich to zero: How Pearson’s $20M gold heist unfolded
Brink’s in October sued the airline for the value of the stolen goods, alleging Air Canada’s warehouse was not secure, and that the thief used fake paperwork to claim the cash and gold. Air Canada has denied Brink’s allegations in court documents.
Police offered no clues on how many arrests were made nor if the stolen goods were recovered, but the involvement of the U.S. ATF points to international connections. The joint investigation is code-named Project 24K.
The gold was shipped on behalf of Toronto-Dominion Bank and the cash was carried for Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange, according to court documents filed in the lawsuit. Brink’s said it reimbursed its customers for their losses.
In its lawsuit against Air Canada, Brink’s alleges the airline operated its secure cargo operations “carelessly,” and did not use proper vaults and surveillance. Brink’s said it paid a premium to move the shipment, and the waybills were marked, “Special supervision is requested. Valuable cargo.”
Air Canada, in its defence, alleges Brink’s did not list a value for the gold and cash on shipping documents, and said the amount claimed exceeded the airline’s liability under international air cargo rules.
Eric Atkins