One of the suspects in the $20 million Toronto Pearson airport gold heist has received a 13-year sentence in a federal prison in the United States for attempting to smuggle guns across the border into Canada.
Cambridge, Ont., resident Durante King-Mclean, 27, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to traffic firearms, the United States Attorney’s Office said in a press release this week.
Peel Regional Police have alleged that King-Mclean was the getaway driver in the April 2023 gold heist at the Pearson airport.
King-Mclean was pulled over on Sept. 2, 2023, by Pennsylvania State Police while driving a rental vehicle, the attorney’s office said. He fled on foot but was caught after a brief foot chase.
A search of the car turned up 65 handguns in the trunk, individually concealed in socks, the attorney’s office said. Two of the handguns were fully automatic, 11 were stolen, and one had its serial number completely removed.
The attorney’s office said King-Mclean collaborated with his co-conspirators from April 2023 until his arrest, and had been staying at an Airbnb in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, before heading north to Canada with a trunk full of guns.
“King-Mclean’s lengthy sentence reflects the seriousness of his crime and shows the heavy penalties perpetrators can expect,” said Special Agent Eric DeGree with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Pennsylvania. “This case also demonstrates the strength of our cooperation with our local and international law enforcement partners to protect our communities from violent gun crime.”
A warrant was issued for King-Mclean in 2023 in connection with multiple offences related to the gold heist case, including theft over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime. It is unknown whether King-Mclean will be extradited to Canada to face charges.
The heist occurred on April 17, 2023, when a suspect used a counterfeit waybill to trick warehouse staff at Toronto Pearson Airport into loading 400 kilograms of gold and foreign currency onto the five-ton truck he was driving.
He made off with 6,600 gold bars worth $20 million and roughly $2.5 million in various foreign currencies from an Air Canada storage facility.
The bulk of the gold remains unaccounted for. It is believed to have been melted down and exported from the country, police have said. The investigators succeeded in recovering only a small amount—fashioned into several bangles—and some cash.
Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah previously described the theft as the largest gold heist in Canadian history, saying it was sensational enough to be the subject of a “Netflix series.”
Heist ringleader Arsalan Chaudhary was sentenced to four years in prison in April after pleading guilty to a theft charge. The 43-year-old Chaudhary has also been ordered by the court to reimburse Brinks for the $22 million that was stolen—a restitution order that will be in effect for 40 years.
