Italian authorities have recovered 251 vehicles destined for the Middle East market that were stolen in Canada in a major raid at a busy port, police said.
The Port of Gioia Tauro is an important maritime facility in southern Italy and, due to its location between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, is one of the busiest transshipment hubs in Europe.
Italian police said the vehicles were all seized from Canada in recent months and were of various “expensive” or “luxury” brands.
With the help of the RCMP and Interpol, the stolen vehicle was found stuffed inside a container that arrived on 18 cargo ships, with “almost perfect” false identification data.
Italian authorities praised the “teamwork” with the RCMP, saying the “synergy” allowed a complex commercial investigation to quickly verify immigration declaration and license plate fraud.
The Port of Gioia Tauro is an important maritime facility in southern Italy and, due to its location between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, is one of the busiest transshipment hubs in Europe.
growing political problems
Auto theft has become a political issue for all levels of government in Canada, with the federal Liberal Party recently announcing a national summit on the issue. Its purpose is to bring states and industry stakeholders together to address a growing problem.
The government warns that organized crime is profiting from stolen vehicles on Canadian roads, which end up in the Middle East and Africa or used for crimes within Canada. ing.
Some industry estimates say Quebec’s car theft rate in 2022 has risen by half compared to the previous year, and the Liberals say police in the Greater Toronto Area say carjackings have increased by 300 per cent since 2015. It is said that the number of cases will increase rapidly in the near future.
Call for improved security standards
There are also growing calls within Canada for new standards that would make it harder to steal Canadian vehicles in the first place.
In 2007, the federal government required new cars to have immobilizers. This makes it difficult to steal the vehicle if the key is not detected. However, the anti-theft devices that were the gold standard when they were introduced are now being bypassed. .
The mass adoption of these new techniques has turned Canada’s parking lots into vulnerable goldmines for high-tech thieves.
But experts warn that there is no silver bullet solution and that all levels of government need to work with industry stakeholders to stem the record crime spree.
With files from CTV News Toronto and The Canadian Press