The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team has charged six individuals and issued an arrest warrant following information obtained through the ongoing joint forces investigation, Project VECTOR.
On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) flagged several shipping containers for inspection as part of the ongoing Project VECTOR initiative – a collaboration between the OPP, CBSA, Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and Équité Association to search sea containers suspected of containing stolen vehicles. A search of the containers by the OPP-led PATT Team resulted in the recovery of several stolen vehicles. Project RUST was initiated in August of 2024 to further investigate the recovered vehicles.
Investigators determined that a criminal network utilized fraudulent documentation and company names to ship stolen vehicles overseas. On Thursday, July 24, 2025, the OPP PATT Team, the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, CBSA and Ottawa Police Service executed two search warrants in Ottawa.
The following items were seized:
- Approximately seven grams of suspected cocaine
- Approximately one gram of suspected crack cocaine
- Numerous key fobs
- Vehicle diagnostic tool capable of altering vehicle identification numbers (VIN)
- Vehicle tracking device
- One vehicle with an altered VIN
“Collaboration and sharing of intelligence locally, provincially and nationally is imperative to combat the complexity of auto theft in Ontario and disrupt the criminal networks involved. Project RUST is a prime example of intelligence that stemmed from an ongoing collaboration between provincial and national law enforcement agencies, leading to significant charges. We will continue to leverage strong relationships with our policing partners and endeavour to ensure Ontarians can wake up each morning with their car in the driveway,” said OPP Detective Inspector Scott Wade, Provincial Auto Theft and Towing Team.
Anyone with any information in relation to this investigation or auto theft activity should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
ABOUT THE PATT TEAM
While vehicle theft is not new, the levels of violence, intimidation and incidents involving firearms used to steal vehicles represents a new and evolving threat to public safety. With the support of the Government of Ontario and our partners, the PATT Team will lead proactive, intelligence-based organized crime investigations, bringing charges against those responsible for serious vehicle crimes and violence within the towing industry.
ABOUT PROJECT VECTOR
Project VECTOR commenced in December 2023 in collaboration with the CBSA, SQ, SPVM and Équité Association. This initiative was designed to assist with vehicle recovery, while reducing the number of vehicles stolen in Ontario and illegally exported through ports of entry. Additional partners in Project VECTOR include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and police services in the GTA, specifically: Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service and Peel Regional Police. To date, Project VECTOR has resulted in the recovery of more than 1,940 stolen vehicles from Ontario and Quebec valued at more than $159 million.
From the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau of the OPP
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