Canadian authorities have dismantled a sophisticated transnational vehicle theft and export syndicate after a two-year investigation that led to the recovery of 306 stolen vehicles valued at about 25 million Canadian dollars. Many of the vehicles were bound for markets in West Africa and the Middle East.

The operation, dubbed Project CHICKADEE, was led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) through its Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team, working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and several other law enforcement agencies.

Investigators say the probe uncovered a highly organised criminal enterprise that extended well beyond street-level car theft. The network involved freight forwarders, drivers, falsified shipping documents and complex international export routes.

Investigation began in 2023

Project CHICKADEE was launched in August 2023 after police recovered four stolen vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area. While the initial recovery appeared routine, further checks revealed links to a broader export operation.

Investigators found that stolen vehicles were being re-identified using altered Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs). These vehicles were matched with forged documents and packed into shipping containers for export through major Canadian ports.

As intelligence developed, authorities uncovered links to transnational organised crime groups, suggesting Ontario had become a key supply hub in a global auto theft network.

Interception at ports nationwide

As the investigation widened, officers from the OPP PATT Team, the Organised Crime Enforcement Bureau and CBSA intelligence units began intercepting containers both in transit and at major ports in Montréal, Vancouver and Halifax.

Police said intervention at ports became critical, as recovery of stolen vehicles becomes extremely difficult once they leave Canada.

Several agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Halton Regional Police and the Équité Association, supported the operation, underscoring the scale and complexity of the criminal network.

Raids and seizures

The first major enforcement action occurred on October 16, 2025, when police executed search warrants in Toronto, Vaughan, Woodbridge and Etobicoke. Items seized included cash, a re-VINed vehicle, electronic key programmers and licence plates. One suspect was arrested, while two others fled but were later captured.

A second, larger operation followed on November 27. Police searched 23 residential and industrial locations and seized 13 vehicles across communities, including Brampton, Scarborough, Waterloo, Milton and Saint-Eustache in Québec.

Tactical units, emergency response teams, canine units and intelligence officers were deployed during what police described as a highly coordinated, multi-agency effort.

Scope of the network revealed

By the conclusion of Project CHICKADEE, authorities reported the seizure of:

• 306 stolen vehicles recovered in Canada
• Three firearms
• Hundreds of licence plates, keys and key fobs
• Fraudulent shipping and export documents
• Forklifts and tractor-trailer cabs used in vehicle logistics
• Over 190,000 Canadian dollars and 32,000 US dollars in cash
• Mobile phones, computers, hard drives and financial records

Arrests and charges

In total, 20 suspects were arrested and charged with 134 offences under Canada’s Criminal Code, the Customs Act and the Cannabis Act.

Among those charged is Bismark Owusu-Ansah, a 64-year-old Ghanaian national living in Brampton, Ontario. He faces five charges, including conspiracy to traffic stolen property, exporting property obtained through crime and possession of stolen property valued above 5,000 Canadian dollars.

Authorities stressed that all accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Financial intelligence key to operation

Police said financial intelligence from FINTRAC, Canada’s financial transactions watchdog, was crucial in tracing the proceeds of crime. The OPP’s Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit has also begun moves to seize assets believed to be linked to the syndicate.

Police warn of wider impact

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said auto theft has far-reaching consequences.

“Auto theft is not a victimless crime. It fuels organised crime, violence and insecurity in our communities,” he said.

Another senior officer, Bryan Gast, noted that vehicle theft costs Canada more than one billion Canadian dollars each year, with proceeds often reinvested into illegal firearms, drugs and other criminal activity.

Shift in policing approach

Canadian law enforcement officials say Project CHICKADEE reflects a shift toward dismantling the entire criminal supply chain, from theft and falsified documentation to shipping and international export.

They say the operation sends a clear message that Canada will no longer serve as a source market for international vehicle theft syndicates.

myjoyonline.com

Civil society groups in Nigeria have criticized a call by Senate President Godswill Akpabio for the return of police security personnel to members of the National Assembly and other senior public officials.

The criticism followed Mr. Akpabio’s appeal to President Bola Tinubu to review his recent directive withdrawing police operatives attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs). The president said the move was intended to redeploy officers to tackle wider security challenges across the country.

Speaking during President Tinubu’s presentation of the 2026 budget at a joint sitting of the National Assembly in Abuja, Mr. Akpabio warned that the decision had exposed federal lawmakers to security risks. He said some legislators feared they might be unable to return safely to their constituencies following the withdrawal of their police escorts.

“Some of the National Assembly members said I should let you know that they may not be able to go home today,” Mr. Akpabio told the president, while appealing for a review of the policy.

However, a coalition of civil society groups operating under the Support For Civil Society Organizations Initiative rejected the request, describing it as a misplaced priority and inconsistent with global democratic practice.

“In other democracies, legislators do not deploy large numbers of armed police officers while the wider population remains vulnerable to attacks,” the group said in a statement.

The group’s leader, Chief ‘Aare’ Oluwasegun Oyedijo, said public office holders should not be insulated from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.

According to the coalition, leaders who deliver on their mandates should not fear the people they represent or require special security arrangements. It argued that good governance and accountability, rather than armed protection, are what earn public trust.

The group said the withdrawal of police escorts could help reduce the growing gap between elected officials and their constituents, encouraging closer engagement and more effective representation. It also criticized what it described as the excessive use of state security resources to protect politicians, saying this had contributed to a culture of privilege and abuse of power.

The coalition added that the Nigeria Police Force should prioritize the protection of communities and public safety, rather than serving as personal guards for political office holders.

“We are not calling for a breakdown of law and order,” the statement said. “Leaders who serve well do not need to hide behind armed security. This step will strengthen democracy and compel the delivery of real dividends of governance.”

President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs on 23 November, directing that those requiring armed protection should instead apply to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The government says the policy is part of broader efforts to improve national security amid rising crime and limited policing resources.

During the same session, Mr. Akpabio praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying they were beginning to yield results despite the hardship experienced by many Nigerians. He assured the president of the National Assembly of support for the reform agenda and the proposed 2026 budget.

thepressradio.com

At least 90 people have died and another 12 are missing after days of heavy rain in Vietnam led to flooding and landslides.

The Vietnamese government says 186,000 homes have been damaged across the country, with more than three million livestock swept away. Officials estimate there has been hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage.

The mountainous province of Dak Lak has been severely impacted, recording more than 60 deaths since 16 November, according to news agency AFP.

The floods are the latest extreme weather event to hit Vietnam in recent months, after typhoons Kalmaegi and Bualoi hit the country within weeks of each other.

Some 258,000 people were without power on Sunday morning and sections of major motorways and train tracks were blocked, officials said.

Military and police resources have been mobilised to assist in the hardest hit areas.

The government said the most severe impacts had been observed in five provinces – Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong – clustered in south and south-central Vietnam.

Mach Van Si, a farmer in Dak Lak, told AFP: “Our neighbourhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud.”

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chaired a virtual emergency meeting on Sunday morning from South Africa, where he had been attending the G20 summit.

Rainfall had exceeded 1.5m (5ft) in several areas leading up to Friday, with some areas surpassing a 5.2m level not seen since 1993. The rain is forecast to ease in the coming days.

Scientists say that Vietnam has been left more exposed to extreme weather events by human-driven climate change, which has made typhoons stronger and more frequent.

bbc.com