[VIDÉO] Quebecers wanted: a fake trailer to steal luxury cars

Ingenious thieves from Quebec, who are now the target of a Canada-wide arrest warrant, used a modified trailer to steal dozens of luxury cars shipped from Ontario to the Port of Montreal.

“The investigation is still ongoing and they are still being sought,” confirmed the Newspaper Jeff Dillon, deputy chief of the Halton Police Service in the Greater Toronto Area.

This municipality of about 600,000 people was targeted by eight criminals, including six from Quebec. Halton police recently announced that this network of criminals was dismantled thanks to a three-month investigation called Project Ninja.

In a video released by police, the thieves are seen driving one of the stolen vehicles inside a trailer. Authorities call the scheme “unique.” It allowed them to steal at least 40 luxury models in the Greater Toronto Area, including SUVs and pickup trucks. The trailer was also used to transport their loot to the Port of Montreal and then resell it internationally.

“The total value of the thefts is $3 million. […] “Proceeds from stolen vehicles fund organized crime which impacts the safety and well-being of all law-abiding residents,” said Jeff Dillon.

Montrealers on the run

Halton police have revealed the identities of four Quebec suspects arrested in this case: Ramy Bitout (23 years old), Badr-Eddine Draoui (23 years old), Amine Garti (23 years old) and Olivier Paquette (35 years old).

“On August 24, 2024, officers arrested three initial suspects in connection with the investigation. A search warrant was subsequently executed for a short-term rental in Oshawa, Ontario. […] The seizure included a large trailer that had been used to conceal and transport the stolen vehicles,” Halton Police Service said.

Four other men are the subject of an arrest warrant across the country, two of whom are from Montreal. They are Yasser Hassani (23 years old) and Faycal Kessaci (23 years old).

The eight suspects now face a total of 55 charges, including theft of a motor vehicle, trafficking in stolen property over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

“Every day we see criminals becoming more and more creative to avoid being detected by the police, […] “But this is the first time we’ve seen this. We were shocked to see that the vehicles were going into the trailer,” said Autumn Mills, a detective in the case, at a press conference.

Here to steal?

According to Ontario police, the majority of the suspects “were identified as Algerian nationals who had travelled to Canada” recently.

“Once in the country, they resided in Quebec and then relocated to the Greater Toronto Area, where they rented short-term accommodations. While based in these locations, the suspects committed numerous reprogramming thefts [de clés]stealing vehicles for several days before returning to Quebec,” explained the local police force.

Note that 12 stolen cars were found by authorities in Ontario.