Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
Hamilton Police have disrupted a major auto theft ring operating in the city and the GTHA.
For more details, please continue reading below…
The following is a press release from Hamilton Police:
Hamilton Police have arrested eight individuals after a year-long investigation into an auto theft ring operating in Hamilton and Southern Ontario. The investigation, dubbed Project Polar Bear, was conducted in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario and Équité Association.
This organized criminal activity targeted high-end vehicles, distributing the stolen cars both nationally and internationally. At night, crews would steal vehicles and load them into shipping containers. Most were shipped to Montreal and destined for Ghana, Iraq, or the United Arab Emirates. Nationally, the vehicles were re-vinned and circulated back into the domestic market. The investigation is ongoing regarding the buyers’ culpability in acquiring those vehicles.
Over the course of the investigation, police were able to recover nearly 88 per cent of the stolen vehicles and return them to their owners. Over 200 vehicles were recovered, which were valued at approximately $15 million.
From February 14 to 18, Hamilton Police seized an additional 14 vehicles and executed nine search warrants to private residences and businesses. Throughout the project, in addition to the vehicles seized, police recovered half a kilogram of cocaine, several kilograms of psilocibyn, two loaded handguns, $35,000 in proceeds of crime, as well as several devices designed to steal key fob signals, reprogram car key fobs, and alter vehicle identification numbers.
Approximately half of the vehicles recovered were stolen from Hamilton, while the rest of the vehicles were taken from across the GTA. Although the criminal network was active in Hamilton, the group operated beyond the city.
Hamilton Police continue to work collaboratively with other policing partners to tackle the rise in auto theft. According to Equite Association, more than 57,000 private passenger vehicles were stolen in Canada last year, down from over 70,000 in 2023. These concentrated law enforcement efforts are making a difference.
In Hamilton, 1612 vehicles were stolen last year.
In 2024, Hamilton Police received monies from the Ministry of the Solicitor General to address auto thefts. The successful completion of this lengthy investigation was also made possible through funding provided by the Ontario Government, Ministry of the Solicitor General in which the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario supported the investigation.
Project Polar Bear investigators are collaborating closely with the Provincial Asset Forfeiture unit on all property seized and investigated during the project, as well as working with the Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team from the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Hamilton Police would also like to thank Halton Regional Police Service, Niagara Regional Police Service, OPP, and Waterloo Regional Police for their assistance during the project.
The investigation is ongoing, and further charges may be pending. If you have any information that you believe could assist Police with the investigation into this crime, you are asked to contact Detective Emerson Heaslip at eheaslip@hamiltonpolice.ca.
To provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at www.crimestoppershamilton.com.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office here.