Canadian Authorities Seize 598 Stolen Vehicles in Montreal Port

Canadian authorities announced that they have prevented the export of nearly 600 stolen vehicles abroad after inspecting 390 shipping containers at the Port of Montreal. The Ontario Provincial Police and the Canada Border Services Agency stated that approximately three-quarters of the 598 seized vehicles, valued at around CAD 34.5 million (USD 25.5 million), were stolen in the neighboring province of Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns told reporters in Montreal that investigations conducted by the police in Ontario led them to believe that a significant portion of the stolen vehicles in that province "were intended for illegal export through the Port of Montreal." As a result, the police and federal agencies in Quebec and Ontario launched Project Vector. Kearns noted that Project Vector is the latest in a series of police operations targeting vehicle theft, emphasizing that some of the recovered vehicles were involved in other crimes. He added that thieves are targeting relatively new cars, including pickup trucks and luxury SUVs, which are then exported to markets in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.