Nearly $60 million in high-end stolen vehicles recovered, more than 50 charged from Mississauga and Brampton

More than 50 people from Mississauga and Brampton have been charged in a police crackdown on auto thefts that led to the recovery of more than 1,000 stolen vehicles worth nearly $60 million.

The nearly year-long investigation led by the Toronto Police Service started in November, and police gave an update in April saying some $27 million in stolen vehicles had been found with nearly three dozen Brampton and Mississauga among the 119 people charged.

But with the operation christened Project Stallion wrapping in September, police say the value of recovered stolen rides has more than doubled to over $60 million.

The operation has led Toronto police to 1,080 stolen vehicles and lay more than 500 charges against 228 people across the GTA, including 57 accused from Mississauga and Brampton ranging from teenagers to people in their 60’s.

Vehicle thefts in Toronto have more than doubled since 2019, and police say 9,747 vehicles have been stolen in the city alone so far in 2023.

Police said some vehicles recovered during Project Stallion were found ready to be shipped from the Port of Montreal, but most were recovered locally.

TPS Superintendent Ron Taverner said police will continue to target vehicle theft rings and groups of thieves together working to steal vehicles, adding that those recovered in Project Stallion were mostly high-end rides stolen from driveways, parking lots and various locations across the city.

“Being perfectly honest, this is all around money,” Taverner said. “It’s a lucrative business for people, (stolen vehicles) are being resold, they’re being shipped overseas, they’re being re-VINed…our initiatives are to target the groups that are actually involved in these schemes.”

“It is organized crime in many cases,” he added, with police saying there’s both an international and national market for stolen vehicles and it’s increasingly difficult to find “the head of the snake.”

Project Stallion also cracked down on catalytic converter thefts, as precious metals in the car part can go for around $1,000 each on the black market.

The lion’s share of the accused hail from Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton, but the list of charges included individuals from Quebec, Caledon, Scarborough, Vaughan and Pickering among others.