Gold and other “high-value” goods worth more than $20 million (£11.9m) have been stolen in a heist at Toronto airport.
The gold arrived on Monday evening in a container that was offloaded from a plane and stored securely in a cargo holding facility, Peel Regional Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said.
It was reported missing shortly afterwards.
Mr Duivesteyn said the “high-value container was removed by illegal means from the holding facility”.
He would not comment on how the theft unfolded or who might be behind it.
“Our investigators have got their eyes opened to all avenues,” he said. “We’re looking at all angles on how this item was stolen.”
The Toronto Sun reported that the thieves made off with 3,600lbs (1.8 tons) of gold, citing anonymous sources saying authorities were looking at organised crime groups in the region.
“This is very rare,” Mr Duivesteyn said, describing the airport theft an isolated incident that had no impact on the travelling public.
He said it was too early in the investigation to say if it was a professional theft or a crime of opportunity.
The theft resembles the Brinks-Mat heist at the Heathrow International Trading Estate in 1983, when a gang stole £26 million in gold bullion. The robbery formed the basis of the recent television drama The Gold.
