Charges
Police have laid over 19 charges or issued warrants for nine individuals allegedly involved in the heist. This includes the truck driver, 25-year-old Durante King-Mclean from Brampton, Ont., who was arrested in the United States last September and is scheduled to go to trial in July, according to Det. Sgt. Mavity.Two men who were working for Air Canada at the time of the heist, 54-year-old Parmpal Sidhu and 31-year-old Simran Preet Panesar, are both charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Mr. Panesar, believed to be in either the United Kingdom or India, has retained counsel, police said, adding that his lawyer is working toward his surrender.
Except for Mr. Panesar and Mr. Arsalan Chaudhary, who are both on Canada-wide warrant, and Mr. King-Mclean, who is in the United States, the other six of suspects have been released on bail, with police citing their alleged non-violent crimes as the reason.
‘Discouraging’
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who was at the June 21 Peel Police Service Board meeting, expressed disappointment over the release of the suspects, calling it “discouraging” for the police force, which has dedicated extensive hours to these arrests.Over a one-year period, 20 Peel Regional Police officers worked full-time on the investigation and have logged over 28,000 regular hours and 9,500 overtime hours, which translates into significant costs, said Det. Gordon Oakes.
“I’m old school, so I just put $125 an hour in for regular time and time and a half on that [overtime hours], which takes the cost at this point to $5.293 million, and the project’s not even near the end,” Mr. Boughton said.
“So at the end of the day, it’s an incredible investment that’s being made to catch these bad guys. And, you know, as we look at budgets, I’m saying this as the chair of the finance committee, a crime like this could be $10 million as a cost to Peel by the time it’s all said and done.”
During the June 21 meeting, the police also highlighted the involvement of firearms trafficking in the 2023 heist.
“This isn’t just about gold. This is about how gold becomes guns,” said Nando Iannicca, chair of the Peel Police Service Board, in response. “And gold can be remade, but people’s lives, and what happens when guns are involved, cannot.”