New details about $20 million gold heist at Toronto airport revealed in lawsuit

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A shocking robbery of $20 million in gold (weighing 400.19 kilograms) and $2 million in cash at Toronto Airport entered an Air Canada cargo facility and showed false waybills to steal large amounts of gold, according to a complaint. It was as easy as walking away with a Submitted to court.

The complaint says she went missing 42 minutes after being removed from a plane arriving from Switzerland and taken to a supposedly secure warehouse near Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

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The theft, one of the largest in Canadian history, remains unsolved by police. Safe transportation company Brinks is currently suing Air Canada over lost luggage.

The case comes after months of systematic silence from police, airlines and other parties involved in the theft, which made headlines around the world. This is the clearest picture yet of what will happen.

In a complaint filed in federal court, First reported by Glen McGregor on Substack.Brinks said the shipment of gold and cash was delivered to Air Canada in the Swiss financial center of Zurich on April 17 and loaded onto Air Canada Flight AC881, a daily passenger and cargo flight bound for Toronto. .

Brink alleges Air Canada provided poor security despite knowing the baggage’s expensive contents.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Air Canada declines to comment on the lawsuit, robbery or allegations.

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“As this matter is currently before the courts, we are unable to comment,” Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said. The airline also declined to comment before the matter went to court.

According to Brink’s complaint, Switzerland’s Raiffeisen Schweiz Bank hired him in April to transport cash (bills valued at $1,945,843 and weighing 53.18 kilograms) from Zurich to Toronto.

According to the complaint, the money was declared as “paper money” and sent to the Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange.

Around the same time, Swiss precious metals smelter Valcambi SA hired Brink’s to transport 400.19 kilograms of gold, valued at more than $20.4 million, to Toronto.

The money was declared as “GOLDBARS” and sent to Toronto-Dominion Bank in Toronto, according to the complaint.

The two shipments were combined into one air cargo container, about the size of a large office desk.

According to the complaint, the plane landed at Toronto’s Pearson Airport around 4:20 p.m., and the shipping container was unloaded and moved to an Air Canada bonded warehouse on the edge of the airport around 5:50 p.m. That’s what it means.

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“At approximately 6:32 p.m., an unidentified person gained access to AC’s cargo storage facility. There are no security protocols or features in place to monitor, limit, or regulate unidentified person access to the facility. ” the lawsuit alleges.

“Once inside, the unidentified person presented AC personnel with a copy of the air waybill for an unrelated package.

“Upon receiving the fraudulent waybill, the AC personnel released the shipment to an unknown person, who then fled with the cargo,” the lawsuit alleges.

“AC accepted fraudulent waybills from unidentified individuals without verifying their authenticity in any way.

Blink claims that “if AC had conducted the investigation necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, the possibility of an unknown person stealing the consignment would have been completely avoided.”

According to the complaint, Brinks sent an email to Air Canada on or about April 14 with the nature of the cargo, declared value and flight information when booking the cargo shipment. The email was confirmed by Air Canada the same day.

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According to the complaint, the gold and cash were attached to separate air waybills and were marked as “valuable cargo requiring special supervision of Blink’s secure air cargo.”

Brinks said it used the airline’s AC Secure program to transport the container. AC Secure advertises itself as offering “special handling of high-value shipments with security as our top priority.”

“AC Secure provides safe and secure transportation of certain products, such as those with a declared value of C$1,000/USD or more per kilogram, or where the shipper is insured for the same amount per kilogram regardless of the product. ” states the website. .

Products that use AC Secure often include gold, silver, jewelry, coins, watches, jewelry, stocks, bonds, and more.

AC Secure costs more than regular air transportation.

Brink’s contract of carriage means that Brink is responsible for the value of the package if it is lost in transit.

Brinks is now seeking reimbursement for its losses from Air Canada.

The lawsuit accuses Air Canada of failing to properly secure its cargo and being “reckless in its operation of the AC Secure program.”

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The complaint alleges that Air Canada failed to provide “storage facilities with effective storage and cages, constant video surveillance, and active human surveillance patrols.”

The complaint also alleges that Air Canada failed to: Ensure software/hardware systems are adequately secured to prevent unauthorized transactions. Ensure employee credentials are less susceptible to fraud and abuse. Validate reliability and proper training of personnel with access to high-value shipments.

Mr. Brink is seeking damages of CHF 13.6 million, equivalent to the declared value of the missing gold, and USD 1,945,843, equivalent to the value of the missing gold.

Brinks is also seeking unspecified special damages and legal costs.

According to the complaint, the company received a contract from Air Canada in March to “build improved processes” for AC Secure, including “better technology enhancements, handoffs, and ()improved tracking methods.” He said he was informed about the ongoing upgrades.

But the airline failed to implement improvements “adequately or at all,” according to the complaint.

The case was filed in federal court because international shipping is regulated by the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that is incorporated into Canadian law.

The investigation by Peel Regional Police continues. No arrests have been announced.

“We understand the interest in this case,” said Peel-Const. Donna Carlson.

“This is still a very active and ongoing investigation, and information will be released when investigators believe it will not compromise the integrity of the investigation. There is no further information to release at this time.”

Brink declined to comment before publication. TD Bank did not respond to a request for comment. Valcambi SA and the Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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