Dozens charged, hundreds of vehicles recovered in Ontario auto theft probe

Toronto police accidental dozens of radical person been arrested truthful acold successful an ongoing probe into car theft and fraudulent conveyance recognition numbers.

Police accidental the investigation, dubbed Project Thoroughbred, began successful July and focused connected auto theft rings progressive successful VIN fraud arsenic good arsenic alleged “chop shops,” wherever stolen vehicles are taken isolated and prepared for shipment overseas.

They accidental much than 300 charges — including respective counts of utilizing forged documents and possession of stolen spot — person been laid against 59 suspects, and much than 360 stolen vehicles person been recovered to date.

Police accidental warrants person besides been issued for the arrests of much than a twelve others.

Supt. Ron Taverner says the probe uncovered an alleged strategy involving the registration of fake VINs by employees astatine a ServiceOntario location.

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He says employees are alleged to person knowingly utilized fake documents provided by the suspects to marque it look similar the VINs were legitimate, and past registered Ontario licence plates to the fraudulent VINs.

The stolen vehicles were past sold to unsuspecting buyers astatine a discount, helium told a quality conference.

None of the ServiceOntario employees alleged to beryllium progressive person been arrested astatine this time, but Taverner said “they volition be.”

Police accidental they besides recovered chop shops crossed the metropolis wherever stolen cars are dismantled implicit a abbreviated clip to marque them harder to trace.