8 people facing charges in GTA auto theft probe

Eight people are facing over 100 charges total linked to a GTA auto theft investigation where 23 stolen vehicles were recovered, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say.

In a news release issued Tuesday, police said the investigation began in March of this year, after the province's carjacking task force — which was co-led by the OPP and Toronto police — identified a "criminal network" involved in auto thefts and home invasions.

"Each week we continue to hear of more and more auto theft occurrences — some are violent, some involve home invasions," OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said during a press conference Tuesday.

"Vehicle crime is a complex issue, but one thing is simple — our communities deserve to feel safe when they lay their heads down at night. It is the right of every Ontarian to feel at ease in their communities."

Police say that last week, search warrants were carried out on six vehicles and four locations in Peel and Toronto. Investigators say officers found a loaded handgun and ammo, around $2,000, break-in and auto theft tools, fake photo ID and stolen vehicle parts.

Over the course of the investigation, officers recovered 23 vehicles with a value of over $5 million, police say.

A total of 103 charges have been laid against eight people, according to the news release. Four of those charged were taken into custody, while two were released on a promise to appear in court in Brampton on later dates.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for two people linked to the case, police say.

WATCH | More than 12,000 vehicles were stolen across the city in 2023:

A car was stolen every 40 minutes in Toronto in 2023 | Canada Tonight

10 months ago

Duration 5:20

Toronto's police chief says more than 12,000 vehicles were stolen across the city last year, a figure that equates to a car theft every 40 minutes, approximately. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow joins Canada Tonight to talk about what is being done to stop this.

Provincial task force now concluded

A separate news release issued by Toronto police Tuesday said in total, the provincial task force arrested 124 people and laid 749 charges from September 2023 to March of this year. 

The task force was officially announced in October amid a marked rise in violent auto thefts and break-and-enters in the GTA. Toronto police Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said at Tuesday's news conference that the joint task force had concluded as of April of this year.

"The strong partnerships we've established through this task force will continue to yield positive results in our fight against organized crime," he said.

Eight guns were seized as part of the task force's mandate, police say, while 177 vehicles were recovered, at an estimated value of over $10 million.

Johnson went on to say that auto thefts are down 28 per cent in Toronto this year. He also noted that 44 per cent of people arrested as part of the task force's investigations were out on bail at the time of their arrest, something he said is "really concerning."

He also said that 36 out of the 124 people who had been arrested — around 30 per cent — were young offenders.

When asked why so many young people have been arrested, Johnson said it's a "complicated issue," but one factor is vehicle crime being "low-risk," but "high-payoff.

"There's a lot of money to be made. The lack of potential consequences might be a driving factor as well," he said.

"It's a lucrative business fuelled by organized crime, and there's a lot of money to be made relatively quickly."