Three males are going through charges after police discovered 52 high-end autos at a chop store in North Dumfries, Ont.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) was referred to as on Nov. 23 a couple of Toyota Tundra that had been stolen from the Better Toronto Space. They had been advised the car might be discovered at a enterprise on Darrell Drive.
Officers arrested two males on the property.
Investigators stated they later found a “substantial chop shop” on Darrell Drive.
“At the business, the officers located what is commonly referred to as a chop shop. That’s a place where stolen vehicles are disassembled for parts to be sold separately later on,” Supt. Shaena Morris, with the Investigative Companies Division of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, stated.
Disassembled autos are seen on this undated picture after Waterloo Regional Police Service dismantled a chop store in North Dumfries, Ont. (Courtesy: Waterloo Regional Police Service)
Police stated the chop store was working on the identical property as a reputable enterprise referred to as Kapila Transport Inc.
Kapila declined an interview, however advised that they solely realized in regards to the criminal activity when police contacted them. Kapila stated it’s nonetheless open and working in Ayr.
Through the investigation, they discovered the stolen Toyota Tundra and two newer Lexus autos that had additionally been reported as stolen from the GTA.
All advised, 52 high-end autos had been recovered, together with three autos that had not but been stripped for elements. The vast majority of the autos had been recognized targets for reprogramming thefts, together with Toyota Highlanders, Toyota Tundras, Lexus RX350s, Dodge Rams and Ford F150s.
The whole worth of the autos is estimated at $4 million. A further $80,000 value of instruments and three forklifts had been additionally seized.
Disassembled autos are seen on this undated picture after Waterloo Regional Police Service dismantled a chop store in North Dumfries, Ont. (Courtesy: Waterloo Regional Police Service)
A 73-year-old man and a 36-year-old male, each from Cambridge, and a 29-year-old man from Township of North Dumfries had been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Investigators imagine the chop store had been operating since October and the elements had been being shipped abroad to restore different stolen autos.
“It certainly has a significant impact, but we know it is a prevalent issue throughout the province, the country, and there’s still more work to do,” Supt. Morris stated.
WRPS stated they labored with members of the Équité Affiliation, an impartial group supporting Canadian insurers to combat fraud, to execute the search warrant on the North Dumfries property.
“The investigation is continuing. We are not stopping our efforts in following through on what we found,” Supt. Morris stated.
