Eight Hamilton-area people face charges related to an alleged auto-theft ring Hamilton police say they spent a year investigating.
Police announced the charges in a news release Wednesday. They said the individuals, who range in age from 19 to 43, were part of a criminal organization targeting “high-end” vehicles.
Thieves would steal cars at night and load them onto shipping containers, most of which were headed for Montreal, Hamilton police alleged. From there, the cars would go to Ghana, Iraq, or the United Arab Emirates, or they would be registered with fake vehicle identification numbers and “circulated” within Canada.
“The investigation is ongoing regarding the buyers’ culpability in acquiring those vehicles,” police said.
Hamilton police said they investigated the ring alongside the Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario’s criminal intelligence service and Équité Association, an organization focused on insurance crime.
Police said they recovered 200 stolen vehicles and returned them to their owners. The value of those vehicles, they said, is about $15 million. About half the vehicles were from Hamilton with the rest taken from across the GTA.
Officers also seized several kilograms of drugs, two guns and several devices that help steal key fob signals, reprogram key fobs and alter vehicle identification numbers, they said.
Police laid a variety of charges including drug trafficking, conspiracy to steal and traffic vehicles, possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing property obtained through crime.
They say they’ve issued a warrant for one of the individuals charged and are actively looking for them.
Hamilton auto thefts up 12%
There were 1,581 auto thefts in Hamilton in 2024 — up 12 per cent from 2023, said police budget presentation to council last month.
In recent years, car thefts have been a hot topic in Canada, with some consumers calling on car manufacturers to improve anti-theft measures.
Équité Association has said thefts in Canada dropped 19 per cent between 2023 and 2024, with 57,000 private passenger vehicles stolen last year compared to 70,000 the year prior.
In Ontario, auto thefts fell from about 30,000 in 2023 to just under 25,000 in 2024.