How was 400 kg of gold looted from the airport and what happened next?

The sensational gold robbery, followed by a series of arrests, has once again led to a discussion on the illegal gun market at the US-Canada border.

Less than a year ago, thousands of gold bars worth 20 million Canadian dollars (Rs. 120 crores) were looted from a Canadian airport.

The police investigation has revealed that guns were bought from America with the money received as a sale of that gold.

Nando Iyanika, head of the Peel Regional Police Division, who arrested nine people in the case, spoke to the media. “This is not just gold looting. This gold is turning into weapons,” he said.

The problem of illegal weapons smuggling from America has always plagued Canada. Most guns except shotguns and rifles are banned in Canada.

At the same time, the Constitution of the United States allows the carrying of firearms without a license. That’s why it’s so easy to buy guns in America. This topic often plays a major role in political discussions there.

With the easy availability of guns in the US, smuggling them into Canada is also becoming easier.

“Many smugglers buy guns in America and sell them in Canada,” said Bill Fordy, head of Canada’s Gun Police Committee.

Toronto police officer Norman Proctor told a press conference last year.

In 2020, 22 people were killed in a shooting incident in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was one of the worst massacres in Canada. After this there was much discussion about the gun culture here.

After that incident, many questioned how effective gun ban policies were. The guns used in the massacre were also illegally imported from America to Canada.

Guns brought to Canada are usually smuggled from America to different parts of the country. They are used in robberies and other violent incidents.

Police Chief Bill Fordy said 90 percent of the guns used in violent incidents in Canada’s most populous province of Ontario in 2023 were smuggled from the United States.

“Our analysis shows that most of the firearms are coming to Canada from states like Ohio, Texas, Florida and Georgia,” Fordy said.

“Most of these guns are bought in bulk at once. They are sold in the Canadian market for huge profits,” he said.

Last year, the largest gold heist in North American history took place at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The police compared the incident to a ‘money heist’ on Netflix.

The miscreants looted 400 kg of gold and money from a cargo center at the airport. This amount was stolen within 42 minutes of arriving at the airport from Switzerland.

The gold was looted with fake shipping receipts. The highly sophisticated heist has raised doubts about the country’s security system itself.

The thief showed the receipts and loaded the gold and money into a cargo truck. They ran away from there.

Giving details about the arrests in this case, the police said that this robbery was done with the help of two staff members of an airline company.

Currently, criminal cases have also been registered against those employees.

Police investigation revealed that they first made bracelets out of that gold and sold them to earn money.

Last September, Pennsylvania police arrested 25-year-old Durante King McLean. More details came to light in the subsequent investigation.

Durante…purchased guns from Florida and Georgia. Police investigation revealed that he had himself gone to America for this purpose.

Police Chief Fordy said it was a well-planned criminal enterprise.

More arrests were also made in connection with this gold robbery case. Warrants were also issued to some.

The court also granted bail to five people in this case. Among them are Parampal Sandhu, Amit Jalota, Ammad Chaudhary, Ali Reza and Prasad Paramalingam.

Warrants were issued to three others. They have not been arrested yet. Among those issued warrants are Simran Preet Panesar, Archit Grover and Arasalan Chaudhary.