$2M in goods stolen from big trucks as they made deliveries in Mississauga and Oakville

One man has been charged and two others are being hunted by police after cellphones and other electronics worth more than $2 million were stolen from tractor-trailers — including two while they were moving — in several brazen heists in Mississauga and Oakville.

In the first two cargo thefts, the culprits targeted Purolator tractor-trailers in Mississauga as they were on the road making deliveries, Peel Regional Police said in a news release issued Wednesday.

On May 28, several men were in a vehicle that was closely following a large truck on North Service Road, police said.

“They breached the trailer to get on board the transport truck while it was in motion, with the intent of committing theft,” police said. “Once on board, (they) stole $1.8 million worth of merchandise and managed to get off the trailer while it was stopped at a red light.”

Nearly two weeks later, on June 10, police believe the same men used a similar technique to target another large Purolator truck, this time in the area of Creditview and Burnhamthorpe roads in the city’s west end.

The thieves distracted the driver of the rig while it was moving and then quickly climbed on board. In that theft, they made off with some $300,000 in electronics, investigators said, again getting off the truck when it stopped at a red light.

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On June 28 near Trafalgar and Burnhamthorpe roads in Oakville, several men similarly “attempted to board a tractor-trailer” as they targeted a load of TVs, laptops and printers, police said.

In that case, the culprits confronted the driver, one of them threatening violence “by acts and gestures,” police said.

“The driver did not back down,” but the men still collected about $120,000 in goods before fleeing the scene.

On July 11, several men tried to use a cube van and passenger van to “force a tractor-trailer to make an abrupt stop in an attempt to board it” near Hogan Drive and Britannia Road West in Mississauga, police said.

However, the driver of the large truck, which was loaded with $1.2 million in cellphones, kept driving and got away from the would-be thieves.

In the latter two incidents, police didn’t say if the targeted trucks were Purolator vehicles.

Police in Peel said Halton Regional Police helped with the investigation.

Marius Ionescu, 36, of Scarborough, is charged with:

• theft over $5,000 (two counts)
• conspiracy to commit an indictable offence
• robbery

He was held in custody for a bail hearing.

Police have issued arrest warrants for two other Scarborough men. Florian Porumbita, 29, and Florian Porumbita (same name), 27, are both being sought.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact police at 905-453-2121, ext. 3410, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.