Man accused in $23M gold heist at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga hunted by police
Published November 21, 2024 at 3:44 pm
One of the 10 suspects charged in connection with the brazen theft of $23 million in gold bars and cash from Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga last year — the largest such heist in Canadian history — is being hunted by police after he missed his last court date.
Peel Regional Police confirmed in an email to INsauga.com that Prasath Paramalingam, 35, of Brampton, is being sought on a bench warrant issued after he failed to appear in court on Aug. 19.
He’s charged with accessory after the fact to commit indictable offence in relation to the April 17, 2023 theft that quickly garnered international headlines not only due to the value of the stolen goods, but because the group of thieves responsible for the heist seemingly disappeared into the night without delay.
The massive theft sent Peel police investigators off on an international manhunt that also included other law enforcement agencies in both Canada and the U.S. Arrests weren’t made for nearly a year.
On the evening of the heist, around the dinner hour, a five-tonne getaway truck took a load of $23 million in gold and cash from an Air Canada cargo facility and then headed via Highway 401 for somewhere north of Milton, about 40 kilometres west of Pearson.
The gold and cash had arrived just a couple of hours earlier on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland.
Prasath Paramalingam, 35, of Brampton, is being sought on a bench warrant issued after he failed to appear in court. (Photo: Earlier handout from Peel Regional Police)
The large white truck, with some 6,600 gold bars and just over $2 million in cash on board, was tracked after the fact by police using video surveillance from numerous businesses between the airport and Milton.
It was spotted by Peel police investigators leaving Highway 401 and travelling north into Milton, where it then disappeared and wasn’t seen on any other surveillance camera footage.
Earlier this year, after making a series of arrests in the high-profile case, police revealed the alleged driver of the getaway truck was taken into custody by U.S. law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania in September 2023.
The man was arrested after police in that state pulled over a vehicle that was found to be carrying dozens of illegal guns. He remains in custody in the U.S. to answer to charges there.
Most of the suspects charged in the gold heist have already appeared in Brampton court and were released pending next court appearances.
Two of the suspects remain on the loose and are the subject of Canada-wide arrest warrants.
In June, the Peel Police Service Board heard from police brass that the sweeping investigation has cost Peel Regional Police $5.3 million so far to investigate, and the tab could climb to as high as $10 million.
Video capture shows what police say was the container of gold and cash being loaded onto a truck at an Air Canada cargo facility at Pearson Airport. After leaving with the valuable load, the driver took Highway 401 to Milton before eventually disappearing somewhere north of there. (Photo: Peel Regional Police YouTube)
The five-tonne truck used to steal $20 million in gold and $2.5 million in cash from Pearson Airport in Mississauga.
The men charged in April 2024 by police in connection with the Pearson Airport gold heist. Two have yet to be arrested and are being sought by police. (Two above photos: Peel Regional Police)