Montreal Airport Heist Nets $13.7 Million
MONTREAL — Armed thieves ambushed a private plane as it taxied down a runway Saturday and fled with about $13.7 million in gold ingots and other valuables in one of Canada’s largest robberies, police said.
The pre-dawn heist at Dorval Airport outside Montreal was carried out by at least four men, including one armed with an assault rifle.
They used a garbage truck to smash through a fence, then drove off with the loot in stolen vans, police said. The vans and the weapon were later found about 3 1/2 miles from the airport.
The twin-engined jet plane, owned by Sky Services Inc. of Montreal, had been chartered by Brink’s Canada Ltd. and was returning from a regular overnight run from New York via Ottawa and Toronto. It landed shortly before 4 a.m. local time and ran straight into the ambush.
A masked thief carrying the rifle stayed on the ground while three others went inside the plane, Police Lt. Andrew Theodosis said.
“They told the three people aboard--a Brink’s guard, the pilot and the co-pilot--to keep looking straight ahead, not to turn back. Then they started unloading the cargo area,” he said.
Police said no one was injured and no shots fired.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
