Cops just recovered stolen cars from a shipping container as Toronto auto thefts soar
Ontario Provincial Police have recovered two stolen SUVs after a traffic stop on a Toronto highway.
Mississauga OPP received a tip of possible stolen vehicles in a shipping container hauled by a truck. Police stopped the truck in question on Highway 427 in Rexdale, where cops recovered a stolen Range Rover and Jeep Cherokee.
#MississaugaOPP advised of possible stolen vehicles inside an intermodal container. Truck stopped on #Hwy427/Rexdale. Truck driver charged with possession of stolen property x2. Recovered a stolen Range Rover and Jeep Cherokee. Investigation ongoing. pic.twitter.com/FxUKEIjHFI
— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) July 12, 2022
The truck driver was charged with two counts of possession of stolen property, though some suggest that the driver may have been unaware of their illegal cargo.
driver likely has no idea whats in the container
— george bouwmeester (@xone70x) July 12, 2022
This is just the latest incident involving stolen Range Rovers grabbing headlines. In 2021, Land Rover Range Rovers were ranked among the most-stolen cars in Toronto.
The luxury SUV model made headlines again this May when Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner was carjacked at gunpoint, and thieves made off with his ride. This incident set off a media firestorm surrounding the sudden wave of carjackings plaguing the city.
One commenter (probably in jest) suggests that this could be Marner's Range Rover, but considering the SUV model is a top target for auto thieves, the odds aren't exactly high.
Mitch Mariner 🤣
— incepidus (@incepidus) July 12, 2022
"That's my dad's truck!!! Stolen yesterday morning. WTF!!?", reads another response to the OPP tweet.
It's just the latest case amid a sudden spike in car thefts in the city, most notably in the form of carjackings. There were only 59 carjackings in 2021 out of a total of 14,702 auto thefts. Carjackings had already surpassed the entire 2021 total by May 2022.
That's a lot of cars vanishing off the streets, and in some cases, stolen autos have even been tracked as far away as Nigeria, where they are openly advertised for resale with seemingly no repercussions from local law enforcement.
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