Canadian police investigating C$20M gold heist at Toronto airport

TORONTO — Canadian police are investigating the theft of a C$20 million ($14.8 million USD) cargo of gold and other valuables that was stolen from a holding facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The cargo was reported missing after arriving on an aircraft early Monday evening, Peel Regional Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn told a news conference Thursday, April 20.

Duivesteyn said after the aircraft landed, the cargo was unloaded and taken to a holding facility, in line with normal procedure, but disappeared some time afterward.

"Subsequent to its arrival, this high-value cargo was removed by illegal means from the holding facility," he said.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said it was aware of the theft, adding that the thieves accessed the public side of a warehouse leased to a third party, outside the GTAA's primary security line.

The theft "did not involve access to Toronto Pearson itself and did not pose a threat to passengers or GTAA staff," the GTAA said in a statement late Thursday.

The cargo was reported missing to police a short time later.

Duivesteyn would not say where the aircraft carrying the cargo had come from, or its final destination.

"This is very rare," he said.

One American dollars equals roughly 1.34 Canadian dollars.