Latest news with #organized crime
CBC
18 hours ago
- CBC
Members of 'theft ring' suspected of registering stolen vehicles using loopholes
The Alberta RCMP have laid charges against members of an organized vehicle theft ring that relied on registering stolen vehicles under the names of unsuspecting individuals. In a news release Wednesday, RCMP stated that this group was registering stolen vehicles with fraudulent vehicle identification numbers (VINs) by primarily exploiting loopholes in Alberta Registries' Third-Party Authorization System. It can be used by people involved in organized crime to legitimize stolen, "re-VINned" vehicles. As a result of an investigation by the RCMP Auto Theft Unit that began in December 2024, five individuals from Edmonton and two from High River, Alta., have been charged with a combined total of 99 criminal charges. Police said at least 30 stolen vehicles have been linked to the charged individuals, and six of these vehicles have been recovered so far. According to Hanna Beydoun, the Insurance Bureau of Canada's director of auto policy, "re-VINning" refers to when a person illegally alters the Vehicle Identification Number to "hide the true identity of that car, mislabelling it essentially." "So, this allows them to register it at provincial registries and sell it to these innocent and unsuspecting buyers," Beydoun said. RCMP said that more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 OxyContin pills, and nearly $10,000 in cash were also seized. Since the beginning of the investigation in 2024, the RCMP Auto Theft Unit has identified and is working to locate more than 150 registered stolen vehicles that have been re-VINned. Overall, the wider investigation by the Auto Theft Unit has resulted in the recovery of approximately $1.9 million in stolen vehicles in Alberta. How police plans to address rising auto thefts in Alberta 13 days ago Alberta is experiencing a rise in car theft — and Edmonton is one of the hardest-hit cities. CBC's Stephanie Cram spoke with Edmonton's interim police chief about plans to tackle the issue.
CTV News
18 hours ago
- CTV News
7 people face 99 charges in connection with organized vehicle theft ring: RCMP
Alberta RCMP have recovered about $1.9 million in stolen vehicles in its organized vehicle theft ring investigation. (Supplied) Seven people face 99 charges in connection with an organized vehicle theft ring. RCMP say its Auto Theft Unit began investigating numerous people in December after finding they were using Alberta Registries' Third-Party Authorization System to register fake VINs under unsuspecting persons' names without their permission. The fraudulent VINs were then used to conceal stolen vehicles. Since the investigation, police have recovered about $1.9 million in stolen vehicles and are working to locate another 150. Mounties have also seized more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 OxyContin pills and nearly $10,000 in cash. RCMP seizure RCMP seized more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 OxyContin pills and nearly $10,000 in an investigation into am organized vehicle theft ring. (Supplied) One 40-year-old man from Edmonton faces 28 counts of uttering forged document charges. He also faces dozens of other charges including fraudulent concealment, fraud over $5,000, possession for the purpose of trafficking, participation in criminal organization and more. Another 40-year-old man from Edmonton faces 22 counts of uttering forged documents as well as fraudulent concealment and fraud over $5,000. Two other men face uttering forged document charges as well as fraud over $5,000 and trafficking in property obtained by crime over $5,000. The four are to appear in court on July 29. Warrants are out for three others who each face several counts of uttering forged document charges.
The National
14-07-2025
- The National
Dubai Police extradite alleged crime lord wanted for trafficking in Belgium
Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three alleged Belgian crime gang leaders facing human and drug trafficking charges in their home country. The three suspects — Mathias Akyazili, Giorgi Faes and Othman El Ballouti — were listed in the most-wanted category by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). Dubai Media Office said on Sunday that the three men were held based on Interpol red notices issued against them, in an operation carried out by police in Dubai in close co-ordination with international law enforcement agencies. The trio have been handed over to authorities in their native Belgium, where they are accused of serious cross-border crimes, including operating a gang, trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, committing robbery and engaging in human trafficking. El Ballouti was sanctioned by the US government in July 2023 on suspicion of international drug trafficking. The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said he oversaw an international crime network responsible for smuggling "significant quantities of cocaine via shipping containers through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium for wider distribution throughout Europe". Dubai Police previously announced his arrest in connection with international organised crime and drug trafficking in December, 2024. The Belga News Agency in Belgium said at the time that his arrest represented a breakthrough for efforts in the country to target drug lords operating abroad. It said El Ballouti was sentenced in his absence to seven years imprisonment for trafficking 840kg of cocaine. His extradition and those of his two fellow suspects followed a Dubai Police investigation, conducted in co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior and led by the General Department of Criminal Investigation, in response to an international arrest warrant submitted by Belgian authorities to the International Co-operation Department at the UAE Ministry of Justice. "All required legal and judicial formalities were duly complied with before proceeding with the extradition request," Dubai Media Office said. Dubai Police emphasised its commitment to supporting efforts to build a strong global security network to combat criminal activity. Ministers discuss extradition Abdullah Al Nuaimi, the UAE's Minister of Justice, spoke by phone with Annelies Verlinden, Belgium's Minister of Justice, after a plane carrying the three wanted men arrived in Belgium. The suspects were extradited under rulings issued by the Dubai Court of Cassation, in line with bilateral agreements in place between the Emirates and Belgium. An extradition treaty was agreed between the countries in December 2021 and came into force the following November. Both ministers said joint co-operation demonstrated the commitment of both nations to the fight against organised crime and drugs-related violence and to ensuring those accused of serious offences are brought to justice.
