215 stolen vehicles worth $17M recovered in auto theft ring bust: York Regional Police

York Regional Police have recovered 215 stolen vehicles worth $17 million after a joint-forces investigation into a sophisticated auto theft ring that was also allegedly involved in drug dealing.

The six-month-long probe, dubbed Project Touchdown, resulted in the arrests of fifty-one people who are facing more than 150 charges.

“Over the past several years, York Regional Police and partner agencies have seen an increase in thefts of vehicles and we have increased efforts to combat this issue,” police said in a release.

Investigators say the stolen vehicles were being shipped overseas.

Police further allege the group was involved in drug dealing, and was heavily armed.

“Officers also seized firearms, including 15 handguns, one assault-style rifle, magazines and ammunition as well as quantities of drugs including fentanyl, MDMA, cocaine and Oxycodone,” the release states.

Last spring Toronto police said organized auto theft rings have turned to sophisticated techniques to corral highly-sought after vehicles.

Police said thieves are monitoring online mapping programs to determine vehicle locations, then recording vehicle VIN numbers and cloning key codes.

RELATED: Car theft victim says calls to police were ignored

According to a report last fall by Équité Association, thieves are exploiting the advancement in technology when it comes to vehicles by using “relay attacks” that enables them to reprogram key fobs.

The report found Honda CRVs topped the list over 4,100 vehicles stolen in Canada in 2022.