Toronto Police Warn of Rise in Violent Distraction Robberies Harming Vulnerable Victims, as 2 Arrested

Toronto Police Services released this handout of Patricia Ghivea (L) and Loredana Gardian, two suspects arrested in distraction thefts in the GTA. Toronto Police Service handout

Toronto police say they have arrested two foreign women after investigating a number of distraction thefts that targeted elderly victims in the Greater Toronto Area.

They say the incidents are part of a growing trend of violent distraction robberies committed by foreign nationals and may be connected to similar crimes in Quebec and other parts of Ontario.

“The accused is alleged to be connected to similar incidents in Halton Region, Hamilton, Montreal, and potentially other jurisdictions,” Toronto Police Services (TPS) Superintendent Ron Taverner said in a statement announcing the arrests.

“Toronto Police are committed to identifying links between cases and prosecuting those responsible for these crimes, which deliberately target vulnerable members of the community,” he added.

Robbery

The two arrests occurred as a result of a robbery this past February in the Finch Avenue West and Woodbine Downs Boulevard area of northwest Toronto. Police say the suspects used counterfeit items to distract a victim before they violently ripped jewelry from her neck.

According to investigators the victim was sitting in her vehicle when the two suspects approached. One of the suspects offered the woman in the car a fake iPhone as well as counterfeit jewelry in order to distract her.

While the woman in the car was distracted by the items being offered, the suspects allegedly tried to remove the victim’s jewelry before then ripping gold chains off her neck. Police say the suspects then fled the area.

Police say the victim suffered minor injuries as a result of the robbery.

Suspects

After an investigation of the robbery in February, police say the suspects were identified and subsequent search warrants were executed at their residences prior to their arrests.

Patricia Ghivea, 20, and Loredana Gardian, 23, were both arrested and each was charged with robbery with violence and conspiracy to commit a summary offence. Ghivea was also charged with assaulting a peace officer.

Tarverner said the two are also believed to be responsible for a number of other criminal incidents in the area.

In a June 8 press conference announcing the arrests and charges, Taverner said that both Ghivea and Gardian are from Romania and were visiting Canada. He said this is part of a trend of various criminal networks of foreign individuals carrying out distraction thefts and other crimes.

“We believe that in a lot of cases, these people are here on visitor visas, etc. and so that’s creating a much more difficult way that we have to locate them, find them,” he said, noting that many of their drivers’ licences are still in their country of origin rather than Canada.

Project Jetsetter

The arrests of Ghivea and Gardian come following the recent release of the results of the seven-year Project Jetsetter investigation. Durham police say the investigation revealed a large network of “criminal tourists” operating in the Greater Toronto Area.

Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) say the project has uncovered more than 200 criminal incidents linked to foreign crime groups entering Canada to commit profitable crimes, and said the police service has made 46 arrests and laid more than 1,440 charges since 2019 in the investigation.

DRPS added that the financial impact of the “criminal tourism” has exceeded $2.6 million for the Durham region and noted that 164 suspects in these cases have not yet been apprehended and are still wanted.

Detective Brad Chapman of DRPS said that the “majority” of suspects who’ve been charged in these incidents are from Romania as well as a smaller number of individuals from India.

“They come here, they commit the criminal offences, and a lot of times they leave the country before we can identify who they are,” Chapman said during a June 5 press conference.

DRPS said common crimes committed by the foreign individuals include shoplifting, staged insurance collisions, auto theft, fraud related to vehicle financing, and scams around export business pitches, as well as a number of other tactics that include damaging vehicles during viewings to get a lower price on them and a string of distraction thefts often targeting seniors.

Distraction thefts have gone up by 268 percent year-over-year this year as of June 5, according to DRPS, with DRPS Chief Peter Moreira saying the crimes are “structured, repeatable, and deliberate.”

Moreira said he is concerned about the difficulty in tracking those who have left Canada and said Canada’s sentencing laws do not currently provide enough of a punishment to deter would-be thieves.

Police Urge Caution

In the wake of the arrests of Ghivea and Gardian, Taverner urged the public to be cautious and remain alert, calling the distraction robberies “troubling” and noting they often go after older victims in their 80s and 90s.

Some have had to be hospitalized as a result of injuries suffered during distraction thefts, Taverner added.

“As Toronto prepares to welcome visitors from around the world during the FIFA World Cup, it’s important that residents and visitors alike remain aware of their surroundings, in particular in busy public spaces,” Taverner said.

He advised to keep purses and backpacks zipped, avoid leaving belongings unattended, store smartphones in front pockets, and exercise caution if approached by “overly friendly” strangers who are trying to offer or sell you items and put them in your hands.

“These suspects often rely on the kindness, politeness, and trust of others,” Taverner said, noting that children are also sometimes used to carry out distraction thefts.