5 suspects nabbed in a Greater Toronto Area auto theft ring
· Toronto Sun
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Halton Police have nabbed five people involved in a Greater Toronto Area auto theft ring.
Police say the investigation, named Project Steel, began after an auto theft incident at a residence in Milton back in mid-March. The victim’s wallet was left in the car, and the accused thieves used the victim’s bank cards to make purchases at a fast-food restaurant in the GTA.
As the investigation continued, officers from the 1 District Auto Team were able to identify the suspects and trace them to a residence in Brampton.
On April 1, the cops executed Criminal Code search warrants at the residence and arrested Aderyen Hadjarab, Zineddine Naas-Arabas, Ahmad Fares, and Rayan Cherchar.
“Organized auto theft is a crime that impacts our community on multiple levels and remains a priority issue for our police service,” said Kevin Magee of the 1 District Criminal Investigation Bureau. “Investigations such as (this) demonstrate our ongoing commitment to dismantling these criminal networks and protecting our residents.”
A video capturing the attempted theft of a vehicle in Milton can be found here.
Items seized
More than 20 items were seized as evidence, including three vehicle reprogramming devices; three magnetic vehicle trackers; seven cellular phones; four blank key fobs (master keys); break and enter tools; clothing worn during the thefts; fraudulently obtained medication and several pieces of fake identification from Ontario and Quebec.
Upon further investigation, the officers realized the group was connected to 13 auto theft incidents in Halton and one in the Waterloo Region.
Five under arrest
Hadjarab, 29, of Montreal, was charged with 45 offences including 14 counts of motor vehicle theft; 28 counts of failure to comply with probation; possession of an electronic device for the purpose of auto theft and unauthorized use of a credit card.
Naas Arabas, 22, of Montreal, was charged with six offences including failure to comply with probation; identity fraud; possession of break-in tools and possession of an electronic device for the purpose of committing a motor vehicle theft.
Fares, 33, of Laval, Que., was charged with uttering a forged document; possession of an electronic device for the purpose of committing motor vehicle theft and possession of break-in tools.
Cherchar, 20, of Mississauga, was charged with five counts of motor vehicle theft; possession of electronic device for the purpose of committing motor vehicle theft and possession of break-in tools.
On June 2, Mecipssa Ikkene, 23, of L’Assomption, Que., was apprehended and charged with 13 offences, including four counts of motor vehicle theft and eight counts of failure to comply with probation.
Halton police also issued an arrest warrant for Hamza Diazali, 20, of Laval, Que., for 25 offences including a dozen counts each of motor vehicle theft and failure to comply with probation.
All the accused are in custody pending their bail hearings in Milton.
Hadjarab, Arabas, and Ikkene were all out on release at the time of their arrests.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2416 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.