A Corvette is recovered by the Ontario Provincial Police as part of an investigation into a criminal network involved in violent auto thefts and home invasions. (OPP Handout photo)
Canada is among the world’s top 10 targets for auto theft, with Canadian vehicles regularly popping up at international ports of entry, according to a new Interpol report.
Out of 137 countries connected to Interpol’s stolen motor vehicle database, Canada regularly ranks among the top 10 with the most thefts, the international policing organization said.
Canada is increasingly being seen as a “key source country” for stolen vehicles, in part because of its “large supply of sought-after high value models such as SUVs and crossovers,” Interpol said in a May 22 statement.
More than 200 Canadian cars have been found scattered across the world each week since the RCMP integrated its stolen vehicle database with Interpol’s in February, the international police agency said.
Interpol’s stolen motor vehicle database holds data on 12 million vehicles worldwide and is linked to 137 countries. Police from member countries can use the database as a resource to determine if a suspicious vehicle has been reported as stolen. In 2023, approximately 226,000 vehicles globally were identified through the database as stolen.
“Stolen vehicles are international criminal currency. Not only are they used to traffic drugs, but also as payment to other criminal networks as well as fueling activities from human trafficking to terrorism,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in the statement.
“Sometimes overlooked, a stolen car is not just car theft. It is part of a major revenue stream for transnational organized crime. Through increased data sharing at the global level, we can better screen vehicles at border points, identify trafficking routes and arrest the perpetrators.”
Auto Theft in Canada
Auto theft has become prolific in Canada in recent years, including a rise in organized crime-led car-jackings and vehicle theft-related home invasions. Ottawa has described the operations as “highly lucrative” and “highly sophisticated” with auto theft rings operating coast-to-coast.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw earlier this year labelled auto theft as a growing problem in Canada’s largest city, saying a car was stolen roughly every 40 minutes. More than 12,000 vehicles were stolen in Toronto in 2023, for an average of 34 car thefts per day, he said during a March 18 press conference.
Auto theft has become a major issue in large urban areas across Canada with vehicle thefts in 2022 rising 50 percent in Quebec, 48.3 percent in Ontario, 34.5 percent in Atlantic Canada, and 18.35 percent, according to a government press release
The acceleration in thefts prompted a meeting of political leaders, law enforcement, and industry stakeholders in the nation’s capital in February to discuss ways to stem the number of cars being stolen and shipped abroad.
Since then there has been a crackdown by police in the GTA with several busts publicized in recent months.
A police task force investigating Ontario carjackings recently announced making 124 arrests and recovering 177 stolen vehicles valued at more than $10 million over a six-month period.
The Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force, led by Toronto Police and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), focused on violent vehicle-related crimes in and around the Toronto region, making arrests and recoveries between September 2023 and March 2024, the police announced last month.
An auto theft ring bust in May resulted in more than 300 charges being laid by Peel Regional Police after recovering 369 vehicles worth $33.2 million.
The seven-month long investigation, dubbed Project Odyssey, resulted in 16 arrests and the recovery of 255 vehicles in Peel Region and 114 vehicles at the Port of Montreal, the police said at a May 27 news conference.
Stolen vehicles are typically used in one of two ways, according to the government. Gangs are either working with organized crime groups to send the vehicles to the Middle East and Africa, or the cars are being used to commit crimes within Canada before they are destroyed.
SUVs and trucks are targeted more often than sedans, with the Honda CR-V being the most sought after, according to the Équité Association’s list of the top 10 vehicles stolen in 2022. The Dodge RAM 1500 Series, the Ford F150 series, the Lexus RX Series, and the Toyota Highlander rounded out the top five most-stolen vehicles.