20 stolen vehicles recovered, three men charged in Mississauga, and Toronto

Three people from Mississauga, and Toronto have been charged in a police crackdown on auto thefts that led to the recovery of 20 stolen vehicles worth nearly $1.8 million.

The four-month-long investigation, led by the Peel Regional Police Commercial Auto Crime Bureau and Canada Border Services Agency, started in December 2023 at a local trucking yard in the City of Brampton.

Police say that during the investigation, an industrial unit in the Town of Bolton was identified as being used to load stolen vehicles destined for foreign port locations in Dubai, Oman, and Sohar.

Investigators say several high-end pickup trucks were among the vehicles recovered.

On Tuesday (March 26), authorities executed several search warrants, where three suspects were arrested and face 39 criminal charges.

Fouad Shakhtour, 62, from Toronto is charged with multiple offences including four counts of trafficking stolen goods, four counts of property obtained by a crime, two counts of possessing automobile master keys and two counts of breaching a release order.

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Ali Elfawair, 38, from Toronto, is also facing many charges including two counts of trafficking stolen goods, two counts of possession of property obtained by a crime, two counts of possession of automobile master keys, breach of undertaking and breach of release order.

Elfawair and Shakhtour were held for a bail hearing and attended the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

Harvir Boparai, 29, from Mississauga, was charged with eight counts of trafficking stolen goods and ten counts of possession of property obtained by a crime.

Boparai is scheduled to attend the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date.

Peel Police acknowledged that the success of their joint auto theft operation was made possible through the support of Canada Border Services Agency investigators in the Greater Toronto Area and Port of Montreal.

Anyone with any information about this investigation is asked to contact the Peel Regional Police Commercial Auto Crime Bureau at 905-453-3311 extension 3313.