Toronto Pearson Gold Heist: Suspect or Suspects Could Have Insider Information About Airport Operations

Toronto Pearson International Airport came under the spotlight recently after more than $20 million worth of gold and other valuables were stolen. Experts have now stated that the perpetrator would need insider knowledge of the airport and its operations to know where the valuable cargo what would be and when.

The associate professor of sociology and legal studies at the University of Waterloo, Phil Boyle, believes the theft of more than $20 million worth of gold and other valuables from Toronto Pearson International Airport would have required detailed information on where the high-value cargo was going to be and when. “They knew what they were after and where to get it, and that involves having some sort of insider knowledge. Certainly it was not an opportunistic smash-and-grab,” he said.

According to Insp. Stephen Duivesteyn, the crime took place in the early evening after a plane arrived at the airport and was unloaded for its cargo to be transported to a holding facility. The perpetrator or perpetrators knew exactly where the cargo would be which means they must have had some insider information.

Boyle shared that this incident sheds light on the institutional weaknesses that allowed the theft to occur at Canada’s largest and busiest airport, even though there was no lapse in security. He added that the police will be looking for unusual movements in the markets where people are trying to offload large amounts of merchandise quickly. It is also possible that the merchandise has been moved out of the country.

Vineet Washington