Authorities found 16 cars and arrested two people in relation to the investigation
3 hours ago
- Canadian Police just discovered 16 stolen classic cars after a months-long investigation.
- They also arrested two people in relation to the crimes.
- The vehicles are worth approximately $3 million.
Barn finds make the news all by themselves. Add in over a dozen classic cars and it’s even more newsworthy. Now stack on top of that the fact that the roughly $3 million worth of cars were stolen. That’s exactly what the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) just found after a lengthy investigation.
That work led to a search warrant that police executed on May 14. When they did, they found the vehicles in Stirling, a small town north of Belleville, Canada. Authorities say that this was a “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).” That’s a huge team that clearly made a huge bust here.
Read: ‘Operation Hellcat Mike’ Busts Chop Shop Stealing Dodges For Their V8s
“Collaboration across our organization and with our partner agencies is imperative to combat the prevalence of auto theft and related fraud within Ontario,” said OPP Det. Sup. Paula Milne of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau. “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.”
The officers didn’t include a detailed list of exactly what they found, but two photos show off a lot. Multiple classic Chevrolet Corvettes, Ford Coupes, a Ford F-1 truck, and several hot rods are on display. There’s no telling what sort of running condition they’re in but aesthetically, everything looks pretty good here. What doesn’t look good is the near-term future for the two persons arrested in relation to these vehicles.
They’re Robert Bradshaw and Gary Leblanc, according to GlobalNews. Each is charged with theft of motor vehicles over $5,000, fraud over $5,000, using forged documents, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offense. Leblanc is also facing a charge of uttering threats.
Evidently, this isn’t their first run-in with the long arm of the law either. The pair pleaded guilty to ten separate charges and paid thousands in fines in 2003 for violations of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act.
