Police say they have dismantled an organized auto theft network operating across the Greater Toronto Area after a two-year investigation that led to 20 arrests and the recovery of hundreds of stolen vehicles destined for overseas markets.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the results of “Project Chickadee” at a news conference on Dec. 17 at the International Centre in Mississauga. Investigators said the operation focused on intercepting stolen vehicles before they could be shipped out of Canada through the ports of Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax.
To date, police have recovered 306 stolen vehicles valued at approximately $25 million. The investigation involved multiple police services across Ontario and Quebec, as well as the RCMP.
Project Chickadee was launched in August 2023 after four stolen vehicles were recovered in the GTA. What began as a local probe quickly revealed an international network.
“What started as a local investigation uncovered a network with international reach, shipping stolen vehicles overseas to markets where they sell for double their Canadian value,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said. “This is organized crime on a global scale.”
According to the OPP, evidence shows the group used freight-forwarding companies and drivers, along with registered businesses and fraudulent documentation, to ship stolen vehicles to destinations in the Middle East and West Africa.
Search warrants were first executed on Oct. 16 in Toronto, Vaughan, Woodbridge and Etobicoke, resulting in one arrest. Two additional suspects initially fled but were later apprehended.
A second wave of searches and arrests followed on Nov. 27 at 23 residential and industrial locations in Brampton, Scarborough, Waterloo, Bolton, Oshawa, Oakville, Mississauga, Innisfil, Toronto and Milton, as well as one site in Saint-Eustache, Que.
In addition to the stolen vehicles, police seized three firearms, licence plates, an on-board diagnostic reader, key fobs and keys, shipping documents, two forklifts, two tractor-trailer cabs and multiple electronic devices. Officers also confiscated more than $190,000 in Canadian currency and over $32,000 in U.S. cash.
The investigation has resulted in 134 charges, including participation in a criminal organization, money laundering, fraud, theft-related offences and violations under the Customs Act.
The 20 accused are from Brampton, Milton, Scarborough, Oshawa, Mississauga, Bradford, Oakville, North York, Bolton and Stouffville. Police allege the group includes owners and operators of freight-forwarding businesses, as well as individuals involved in stealing vehicles across Ontario.
“The criminal organization and the associated network span internationally,” the OPP said in a news release.
Carrique said auto theft continues to pose a serious threat to communities across the province.
“Auto theft fuels organized crime networks, threatens community safety and impacts families, businesses and neighbourhoods across Ontario,” he said.
After surging between 2020 and 2023, auto thefts in Ontario have begun to decline. Police say incidents dropped by about 25 per cent in 2024 and through the first half of 2025 compared to 2023 levels.
“Ontario saw a surge in auto thefts in recent years from nearly 17,000 stolen vehicles in 2020 to more than 30,000 in 2023,” Carrique said, pointing to recent provincial initiatives aimed at tackling the problem. “Nevertheless, auto theft continues to victimize Canadians and costs more than $1 billion annually in insurance claims.”
Police say the investigation remains ongoing.