A massive organized crime investigation by York police started small, with a warmup theft in a resident's driveway.
Investigators announced the dismantling of an auto theft ring at police headquarters Friday, an investigation they dubbed Project Cyclone.
Almost two dozen people have been arrested, and face a total of 137 charges.
Police say they have recovered $5-million in stolen, high-end vehicles, cargo that includes Nutella, and drugs and cash.
"This investigation started with a warmup theft here in York Region, a car left running unattended on a driveway, ripe for the picking," chief Eric Joliffe told reporters.
Joliffe says there were also break-and-enters where keys were taken to steal the owner's vehicle.
"Thieves spend a significant amount of time in our communities on what, at times, appears to be a theft of a single motor vehicle," he says. "But in fact, in this case, this was a larger, more complex criminal organization, an illicit market responsible for theft and the resale of hundreds of vehicles across our country and the globe."
YRP discusses sophistication of multi-million dollar auto theft ring dubbed #ProjectCyclone; 60 high-end vehicles recovered. pic.twitter.com/etGwVwd6FN
— NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) November 25, 2016