Police seize at least 100 stolen vehicles near Port of Montreal

Montreal police seized at least 100 stolen vehicles in a major operation near the Port of Montreal on Tuesday.

According to an exclusive report by Noovo Info, several luxury vehicles and SUVs, including Toyota RAV-4s and Jeep Wranglers, were recovered and destined for markets worldwide. Most of them originated from Ontario.

The number of cars is just an estimate as of Tuesday afternoon, as more cars were expected to be seized into the evening through the investigation led by Montreal police, with help from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Port of Montreal authorities.

No arrests have been made as of Tuesday afternoon.

Stolen vehicles winding up at the port is not a new phenomenon but the number of vehicles stolen in a single sting operation is significant.

In April, 53 stolen vehicles (mostly luxury SUVs and pickups) worth $2.6 million were seized at the port. Just weeks before, 17 other vehicles (again, mostly high-end SUVs) were found there.

So far this year, police say 11,137 vehicles have been reported stolen in the Montreal area, compared to approximately 9,000 in 2022.

The number of car thefts has been rising every year since 2019, according to Montreal police statistics.