$3.2 million in stolen vehicles recovered across GTA and Ontario

Investigators with York police’s Auto Cargo Theft Unit, along with the Canada Border Services Agency and Équité Association, have recovered 52 stolen vehicles from parts of the GTA and southwestern Ontario with a value of more than $3.2 million.

Between October 2023 and January 2024, an investigation dubbed “Project Mamba” revealed a group of criminals who were using residential areas to store vehicles that had recently been stolen. 11 people have been charged with 96 criminal offences from the investigation.

The group targeted high-end vehicles for the purpose of trafficking them overseas to planned destinations such as Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Six search warrants were executed between December 2023 and January 2024, in locations across Ontario including Vaughan, Toronto, London, Cambridge and Bradford. The search warrants resulted in locating 52 stolen vehicles worth approximately $3.2 million.

Zain Afzal, 20, of Scarborough, Arpan Dutta, 20, of Scarborough, Andrey Pokrovskiy, 57, of Newmarket, Mohammad Hadi, 35, of Cambridge, Darren Proulx, 56, of London, Sanan Abbasov, 64, of Bradford, Ibrahim Tairou, 32, of Toronto, Kamal El Hadji Dani, 46, of Toronto, Shaibu Kooli, 34, of Toronto, Sadkoul Derman, 54, of Kitchener, and Mina Pebenito, 31, Toronto have all been charged.

The charges include theft of motor vehicle, trafficking property obtained by crime, possession of property obtained by crime, possession of automobile master key and possession of break-in instruments.