Peel police bust auto theft ring, 12 charged, $1.2M in stolen vehicles recovered

Peel Regional Police investigators say they’ve “disrupted and dismantled” an organized auto theft ring, recovering nine vehicles and laying 81 charges after a months-long probe dubbed Project Memphis.

The project started in March 2023 when police were tipped off about a re-vinned vehicle.

Re-vinning takes place when the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) from a stolen vehicle is changed to a legitimate one to mask the fact that it was stolen.

“Investigators determined some of the stolen vehicles were being re-vinned, fraudulently re-registered and sold in Mississauga,” a police release stated.

“In some cases, the accused attempted to defraud multiple financial and insurance institutions. Various investigative tools were used to identify multiple suspects, recover these stolen vehicles and prevent insurance fraud.”

Following the probe 12 people were charged with a slew of offences and investigators say over $350,000 of insurance fraud was prevented.

Police say the following vehicles valued at over $1.2 million were recovered:

• 2 Range Rover Sports
• 2 Ram 1500s
• 1 Bentley Bentayga
• 1 BMW M5
• 1 BMW X5
• 1 Porsche Panamera
• 1 Jeep Wrangler

“Project Memphis was a complex and multi-faceted investigation that required incredible investigative efforts,” said Chief Nishan Duraiappah.

“The success of this investigation was a testament to effective collaboration and the shared goal of disrupting criminality of all kind.”