In late July, charges were announced in a nearly two-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation nicknamed Project MYRA that targeted rings of organized car thieves. The thieves altered vehicle identification numbers (VINs), and then re-registered and sold the cars privately to unsuspecting customers.
At the time, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said they’d recovered 214 vehicles worth more than $12 million. But the investigation is ongoing and those numbers could change, said Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services with Équité Association.
So far, the operation’s resulted in 44 warrants, 28 people arrested and 242 separate charges, according to OPP.
Gast’s team participated in the investigation for Équité, which has investigators across Canada who are subject-matter experts in vehicle identification. While OPP once had a specialized auto theft team, it…
