"Project 24K" proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city

Today, 17 April 2024, is the first anniversary of the Great YYZ Gold Heist. (Regular readers will know that YYZ is the airport code for Toronto's Pearson airport.) This was the largest theft of gold in Canadian history, and possibly the sixth-largest in the history of the world. Here's a CCTV image of (police say) the robbery in progress.

According to the Peel Regional Police, the take was 6,600 gold bars, valued at over C$20 million ($14.5 million in real money) and roughlyC$2.5 million in folding money. The gold and currency was ordered from a refinery in Zurich, Switzerland, then transported in a container through an Air Canada flight that landed at YYZ at 1556.EDT.

The cargo was then offloaded to an Air Canada cargo facility, where, a couple of hours later, a suspect arrived at the facility with a "fraudulent airway bill...for a legitimate shipment of seafood that was picked up the day before." A police spokesthingy told the meeja today, "This duplicate airway bill was printed off from a printer within an Air Canada cargo facility." 

Shortly thereafter, a forklift arrived with a container of gold and foreign currency and was loaded into the rear of the suspect’s truck. He then hauled ass with the haul. [You're not quoting the copper, right? Ed.] Almost six hours after the plane landed, Brink’s Canada employees arrived at the Air Canada cargo site to collect up the shipment of gold and currency, only to be told it had already been picked up. Everyone had a good think overnight, and called the cops the next morning.

An investigation dubbed "Project 24K" was launched right away... kind of... and has now identified nine suspects, who have been arrested, charged or had Canada-wide warrants issued against them. Let's see who they are.

Durante King-Mclean, a 25-year-old resident of Brampton ON, has been identified as the driver who allegedly stole the cargo from the airport. It was his bad luck to be stopped last September by a Pennsylvania state trooper, who found dozens of illegal firearms inside his rented car. 

Police say the driver ran away but was arrested shortly after. He appeared to be illegally in the United States, and when they checked him on the police database, it flagged him as wanted by Peel police. 

When troopers opened the Nissan’s trunk, they didn’t find gold bars, but 65 guns instead, that were destined to be smuggled into Canada, according to an indictment filed in the US of A. Besides the guns, American investigators found messages between King-Mclean and Prasath Paramalingam, 35, another Bramptonian. Paramalingam sent King-Mclean a photograph of large amounts of Canadian currency wrapped in stacks with rubber bands. 

Paramalingam and another unnamed person from Toronto flew from Toronto to New York City to deliver money to King-Mclean. Five days later, Paramalingam flew back to Toronto via Miami. King-Mclean stayed in Fort Lauderdale, where he allegedly took several photos of guns and large amounts of real money. He left Florida in August 2023 in a rental vehicle and drove north. That's when he was stopped just outside Washington DC by Pennsylvania state troopers. 

In today's presser, Peel police named nine people identified and/or charged as a result of  Project 24K. Arrested in Canada were: 

Parmpal Sidhu, 54, of Brampton [Again? Ed.] who was named as an Air Canada employee. He is charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence; 

Amit Jalota, 40, from Oakville, charged with possession of property obtained by crime, theft over $5,000, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence; 

Ammad Chaudhary, 43, from Georgetown, charged with accessory after the fact; 

Ali Raza, a 37-year-old jewelry store owner from Toronto, charged with possession of property obtained by crime; and 

Prasath Paramalingam, charged with accessory after the fact.

Durante King-Mclean, the alleged getaway driver, is formally listed as wanted by Peel police, although he is in custody in the United States.

Peel police are also searching for:

Simran Preet Panesar, a 31-year-old Brampton man who was an Air Canada employee at the time of the theft but resigned after the heist. He is wanted for theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Archit Grover, 36, from Brampton, pictured at right [Sorry, Walt, this is the only photo I could find. Ed.] is considered a fugitive in Canada and the United States. In Canada. He is wanted for theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. In the US. he is accused of helping King-Mclean after his roadside arrest and hindering the investigation, including removing possible evidence from the Floridea Airbnb where King-Mclean stayed, and arranging a $1000 payment to the car rental agency for an amended rental agreement. 

Arsalan Chaudhary, 42, from Mississauga, wanted for theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime and conspiracy to commit and indictable offence.

Reading through that list of names, Walt is struck by the apparent ethnicity of the suspects. Not an Irishman among them! With the exception of "Jimmy" Durante King-Mclean, they all appear to be... errr... south Asian. Paramalingam is a Lankan name. The rest are probably Indians, some of them Sikhs. By their turbans ye shall know them, and large numbers of them work in and around Pearson Airport.

I mention this because I'm reminded of Project Kraken, about which I wrote in "'Project Kraken' proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city", WWW 29/6/19 -- one of our most-read articles. Project Kraken had to do with drugs and guns. I've asked Ed. to find out if any of the same names appear in the list of those charged in that case, but he hasn't got back to me yet. [Don't hold your breath. Our readers got the point already. Ed.]