The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says two people are facing charges following the execution of a search warrant in Stirling that resulted in the seizure of multiple cars, including classic ones.
Police say they received a complaint in late 2023 reporting a theft of vehicles amounting to $3 million.
That was when “a search warrant was executed in Stirling in collaboration with the OPP Fleet, Supply and Weapons Services Bureau, Central Hastings OPP Crime Unit and Emergency Response Team, and with assistance from the OPP-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team and the OPP-led Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit (PAFU),” the OPP said in a news release on Wednesday.
During the search warrant, police found multiple stolen vehicles, including classic ones. They also seized “16 vehicles from the accused as proceeds of crime.”
Both suspects — a 54-year-old and a 55-year-old – are from Stirling. They have been charged with theft of motor vehicles over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence
They are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville on a later date.
The investigation is ongoing.
“This investigation is another testament to the surge we have seen in auto theft and financial crimes over the last few years and the need for subject matter expert involvement in these investigations,” said OPP Det. Supt. Paula Milne, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.