More than 200 stolen vehicles, worth a total of $17.4 million, have been recovered in an investigation involving York Regional Police and other police services in the province.
The YRP auto/cargo theft unit and partner agencies are part of an ongoing investigation called Project Touchdown in response to an increase of vehicles thefts by organized groups.
In the past six months, officers have recovered 215 vehicles that were being trafficked to international destinations.
Fifty-one people have been arrested and 150 charges laid.
Investigators also seized 15 handguns, one assault-style rifle, ammunition, and a quantity of drugs including fentanyl, MDMA, cocaine and Oxycodone.
Project Touchdown is a partnership between York Regional Police, Peel Regional Police, Durham Regional Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, Canada Border Services Agency and Équité Association, with assistance from the CP and CN Police. The project received funding from Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.
Vehicle owners are encouraged to protect themselves from theft by:
- parking your vehicle in a locked garage if possible as most vehicles are stolen from driveways;
- using a steering wheel lock, which will also serve as a visual deterrent;
- installing a lock on the data port to prevent thieves from re-programming keys to gain access to the vehicle;
- purchasing and installing a high-quality video surveillance system.
