OPP, CBSA Arrest 20 People, Recover More Than 300 Vehicles in Major Auto Theft Investigation

The Ontario Provincial Police and the Canada Border Services Agency recovered 306 stolen vehicles as part of a joint investigation called Project Chickadee. Canada Border Services Agency handout photo

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have arrested 20 individuals and recovered more than 300 stolen vehicles as part of a major auto theft investigation into a criminal organization shipping stolen vehicles overseas.

The investigation, known as Project Chickadee, began in August 2023 when the OPP recovered four stolen vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), OPP Detective Inspector Scott Wade said at a Dec. 17 press conference announcing the investigation’s results.

“Evidence revealed a sophisticated criminal network, including registered freight forwarding companies, utilizing fraudulent documentation to facilitate the illegal export of stolen vehicles overseas,” Wade said.

The OPP and CBSA carried out a joint investigation to inspect shipping containers in transit and at the Port of Montreal, the Port of Vancouver, and the Port of Halifax to intercept stolen vehicles before they left Canada.

The investigation found the criminal organization was shipping vehicles to countries like the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, and several countries in West Africa, where the demand for high-end SUVs and luxury vehicles is high, police said.

Officers executed four search warrants in the GTA on Oct. 16, 2025. As a result, one individual was arrested and charged with four auto theft-related offences, and two individuals fled from police but were later apprehended.

Officers also executed search warrants on Nov. 27 at 23 residential and industrial locations, as well as 13 vehicles, across Ontario and a location in Quebec.

In total, Project Chickadee led to the recovery of 306 stolen vehicles valued at more than $25 million, Wade said. Officers also seized three firearms, equipment allegedly used to steal vehicles and alter vehicle identification numbers, two forklifts, two tractor-trailer cabs, more than CA$190,000, and more than US$32,000.

Twenty individuals were arrested and are facing a total of 134 charges, including participation in a criminal organization, money laundering, fraud, theft-related charges, and Customs Act offences related to the export of stolen vehicles, police said.

The OPP told The Epoch Times that while it can confirm an organized crime group was involved in the operation, it “cannot confirm one single, well-known organized crime group to be responsible.”

Wade told reporters at the press conference that there were multiple groups involved that work together to facilitate the criminal networks, not one cohesive group.

“We are continuing the investigation,” Wade said. “While we’ve had incredible success seizing 306 vehicles, the investigation is far from over.”

Bill C-14

Of the 20 individuals arrested, nine were held for bail, six are still in custody, and three have been released on conditions, Wade said. He also said that at the time of arrest, two individuals were on release orders for prior convictions relating to auto theft or driving-related offences.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique noted that police agencies are working closely with the government to bring about legislative changes when it comes to the bail process.

“Right now, there’s legislation before the House in the form of Bill C-14, which will see changes to the bail process, it will see changes to sentencing—all of which police leaders right across this country have been calling for and welcome the changes that are absolutely needed,” Carrique said.

“When it comes to dangerous and repeat offenders who continue to victimize communities, bail should be a reverse onus that is on the accused, and not the way it’s currently been running.”

Bill C-14, tabled Oct. 23, seeks to amend the Criminal Code with more than 80 changes to the bail and sentencing framework and to help address auto theft, which rose by 25 percent in 2023.

The legislation would create a new reverse onus for major crimes, including car theft, and consecutive sentences would also be imposed for crimes like auto theft.

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Bill C-14, saying it doesn’t get rid of the principle of restraint, which requires judges to “release the arrested individual at the earliest opportunity under the least onerous conditions.”

Auto Theft Crisis

Canada experienced an acceleration in auto thefts in its largest cities since 2021, prompting Ottawa to call on political leaders, law enforcement, and industry stakeholders to convene at a summit in February 2024 in an effort to address the issue.

A car was stolen in Toronto roughly every 40 minutes in 2024, averaging 34 car thefts per day, the city’s police chief said.

The CBSA said it intercepted 2,277 stolen vehicles from rail yards and ports in 2024, representing a 25 percent increase compared to the previous year, and 1,506 stolen vehicles in 2025 as of Dec. 9.

The federal government has provided law enforcement with $15 million since 2024 to boost its efforts against car theft. Ottawa also gave the CBSA $28 million to enlarge its capacity to search shipping containers for stolen vehicles, share intelligence, and collaborate with domestic partners to recover stolen vehicles.

A report released by Équité Association, the national authority on insurance crime and fraud prevention, in July indicated that auto thefts had declined nationally by 19.1 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to that of 2024.

Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.