2 Air Canada employees played key roles in $22.5M Pearson airport gold heist, police allege | CBC News (2024)

Two men who worked for Air Canada allegedly played key roles in the theft of some $22.5 million in gold and cash fromToronto Pearson International Airport last spring, police say.

At a news conference Wednesday, Peel Regional Police said their jointinvestigation with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has led to multiple arrests and 19 charges, as well as the interception ofa "large quantity of firearms" destined for Canada.

"This story is a sensational one, and one which probably, we jokingly say, belongs in a Netflix series," Peel police ChiefNishan Duraiappah said.

"This one is a carefully planned and well-organized group of criminals from both inside and outside of airport facilities that orchestrated this theft," he added.

Lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Mike Mavitycalled the daring theft from an Air Canada cargo facility the single-largest gold heist in Canadian history. He said two men who worked for the airline were instrumental in pulling it off.

One of those employees,Parmpal Sidhu, a 54-year-old man from Brampton, Ont., who worked in the warehouse, has been arrested and charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Meanwhile, a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued forSimran Preet Panesar, 31, also from Brampton.Mavity said Panesar worked as a manager and led police on "a tour" of the cargo facility after the theft,thenresigned from Air Canada last summer.

"They needed people inside Air Canada to facilitate this theft,"Mavitysaid.

WATCH | Police outline how the heist happened:

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick confirmed two of the individuals identified by the police did work for Air Canada in the cargo division at the time of the heist.

"One left the company prior to the arrests announced today and the second has been suspended," he said. "As this is now before the courts, we are limited in our ability to comment further."

Brink's Canada, the cash handling company that was supposed to transport the gold and currency the evening it arrived at Pearson, has sued Air Canada for the money lost in the heist. Air Canada has denied any improper conduct or responsibility for the theft in its statement of defence and rejected all allegations in the Brink's lawsuit.

The 400 kilograms of pure gold, worth roughly $20 million CAD, and about $2.5 million in various foreign currencies were stolen from the cargo compound on the evening of April 17, 2023, shortly after arriving on a flight from Zurich.

A man driving a five-tonne delivery truck approached the compound and gained entry to the warehouse by presenting a legitimateairway bill— a document typically issued by a carrier with details on ashipment. The gold and cash was then loaded onto the truck and the driver exited the compound.

Police later discovered that the airway bill was a duplicate of a document used for a shipment of seafood delivered a day prior,Mavitysaid. It wasprinted within the Air Canada facility, he added.

Using security video assembled from businesses and other sources, police pieced together some of the driver's subsequent route before losing track of the truck innorth Milton, Mavity said.

Investigators eventually identified the driver as Durante King-Mclean, 25,according to Mavity.

King-Mcleanis currently in police custody in the U.S. after he was arrested during a Septembertraffic stop in rural Pennsylvania, Mavity said. Officers found 65 firearms in his rental car, including two that had been modified to be fully automatic and five untraceable "ghost guns" with no serial numbers, Peel police said in a news release about the arrests.

Mavity and the ATFallege the guns were bound for Canada.

Another man who police say had a role in the Pearson heist, 35-year-old Prasath Paramalingam, is also wanted by U.S. authorities. Court documents show that prosecutors in Pennsylvaniasaythat he provided money King-Mclean used to purchase the firearms.

"We are alleging that some individuals who participated in this gold theft are also involved in aspects of firearms trafficking," Mavity told reporters.

Paramalingamwas charged by Peel police withaccessory after the fact of an indictable offence. He was also indicted by a U.S. grand jury on charges offirearms trafficking, aiding and abetting and conspiracy.

Peel police have issued an arrest warrant for King-Mclean, who is wanted in Ontario for theft over $5,000 and the possession of proceeds of a crime.

WATCH | Airport heist linked to firearms trafficking in GTA:

Over the last year, the task forceexecuted 37 search warrants related to the heist investigation, Mavity said. They turned up $430,000 in cash, six pure gold bracelets worth about $89,000, as well as smelting pots, casts and moulds.

"We believe the gold has been melted down and reconstituted into local and international markets," Mavity said.

Investigators also found two so-called debt lists, which are most commonly associated with drug trafficking investigations. One of the lists amounts to $10.23 million, while the other totals $9.94 million, according to Mavity.

"Webelieve these lists actually show where the money was distributed when the gold was sold by the suspects," he said, adding they contained line items for trips, basic supplies and personal items.

The other men arrested and charged in the case include:

• Amit Jalota, 40, from Oakville, Ont. Jalotawascharged with two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
• Ammad Chaudhary, 43, from Georgetown, Ont. Chaudharywascharged with accessory after the fact of an indictable offence.
• Ali Raza, 37, from Toronto. Raza, a jewellery store owner, was charged with possession of property obtained by crime.

All of the men allegedly involved in the theft who were arrested in Ontario were released on bail with conditions.

Meanwhile, Canada-wide arrest warrants have also been issued for:

• Archit Grover, 36, from Brampton. Grover is wanted for theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. He is also wanted in the U.S. for a firearms trafficking-related offence, Peel police said.
• Arsalan Chaudhary, 32, from Mississauga.Chaudhary is wanted for theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.