Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
The results of the investigation, dubbed Project Thoroughbred, were announced at a news conference in Toronto on Friday morning.
Police the investigation was launched in July and has led to the recovery of 363 stolen vehicles, valued at approximately $14 million.
Investigators noted that officers uncovered a “scheme” that involved registering phony Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) by Service Ontario employees.
According to police, ServiceOntario employees allegedly used fake documents to make it look like VINs were valid and registered real Ontario licence plates to these fake VINs. The vehicles, police said, were then sold as “legitimate, properly plated” vehicles. Police noted that there are no ServiceOntario employees among the 59 people who have been charged as part of the investigation to date.
As part of the investigation, police said, officers identified a number of “chop shops” in the city where stolen vehicles were taken to be dismantled and shipped overseas.
“Vehicles brought into these facilities are quickly dismantled, making them difficult to trace and reducing the chance of detection,” Toronto police said in a news release.
Stolen vehicles were also recovered from shipping containers that were destined for overseas locations, police said. One shipping container housing stolen vehicles was found in Belgium and police said they are in the process of bringing those cars back to Canada.