It was a normal day at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Cargo moved in and out, paperwork shuffled, forklifts hummed. Then 6,600 gold bars disappeared, Cash valued at $2.5 million was also taken.
The take was massive — more than $20 million in gold and another $2.5 million in cash. In weight, the gold alone came in at roughly 400 kilograms.
Investigators say forged documents opened the door. The thieves rolled the load straight out of one of the most secure facilities in the country. No alarms, no gunfire, no shouting. Just a cargo run that looked like business as usual.
It didn’t take long for police to start calling it Canada’s largest gold theft. The list of suspects told its own story — nine people charged so far, including Air Canada employees.
One of them, Durante King-Mclean, is accused of driving the getaway truck. He’s already pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge in the United States while facing Canadian charges for the heist.
Some jobs are quick hits. This one was surgical. The thieves moved under the cover of routine, walked right into the vault, and took more gold than some countries keep in reserve.
And the gold? Still gone. Somewhere it’s being melted down, recast, and pushed through the underground economy. Each step away from its original form makes it harder to trace.
In the underworld, gold isn’t just wealth. It’s leverage. It buys silence, protection, and opportunity. Whoever’s holding those bars knows that better than anyone.
