How does one lose 17.2 million dollars in gold and cash? No one knows. Until now.
In April, the Toronto Pearson International Airport was holding cash and gold worth up to 17.2 million in their premium, high-security storage facilities, as charged by Brinks Armored Car Company. The money was sent for currency exchange and was not meant to stay in the facility for more than a couple of weeks. The shipment was a combination of 53 kilograms (116.844 pounds) of cash worth 1.9 million dollars and 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds) in gold bars worth 15.3 million dollars. From there, the shipment was supposed to be picked up by Brinks Armored Car Company, who were then responsible for the transportation of the gold and cash. Until the money seemed to disappear suddenly. The Peel Regional Police were baffled as they spent over six months looking for a lead with little success, and kept coming up short. Many suspected that the heist was planned and an inside job, which possessed more questions than answers.
Now, an ongoing lawsuit provides information to fill in the blanks of the investigation. Brinks Armored Car Company is suing The Toronto Pearson International Airport for alleged negligence and carelessness of goods as well as failing to ensure employee credit tals. Brink’s evidence contained security footage from the storage container itself. The footage, more than forty minutes long, showed an obscured and unidentified person approaching the employee who guarded the storage container. The unidentified person gave the employee a waybill for an unrelated shipment. The waybill was not verified but the unidentified person was released, and the cargo was gone the next day. No one has yet been able to identify the unknown person, or have been able to identify what the waybill said exactly. For their protection, the employee has not been named on any websites, articles, or news sources. While the footage was not proved or denied in court, Brink continued with the lawsuit. This lawsuit, as well as the crime itself, has brought on many questions about how safe are high-security residentcies. Even more so, people wonder and worry about the security of the everyday objects that they bring with them as they travel.
As of today, there have been no arrests or convictions. But the lawsuit against Canadian Airlines and Toronto Pearson International Airport was settled earlier last month. The Canadian Airline was found guilty and is responsible for the liability of the 17 million dollars. The airline has been rumored to repay Brinks Armored Car services upwards of 15.1 million dollars.
