Key facts
- Charges have been dropped against Amit Jalota and Ali Raza in relation to the Toronto gold heist.
- Over 6,500 gold bars worth C$20 million, along with millions in cash, were stolen from Toronto Pearson Airport in April 2023.
- The stolen gold weighed approximately 400kg.
- The heist occurred at a cargo facility after a fake airway bill was allegedly used to access goods from an Air Canada flight.
- One man received a four-year sentence for his role in planning the theft.
- Another man received a 160-month prison sentence in the US for firearms trafficking conspiracy, with alleged links to the heist.
Canadian prosecutors have withdrawn charges against two men accused of involvement in a massive gold heist at Toronto Pearson Airport in April 2023. Amit Jalota and Ali Raza had charges against them dropped last week, with their lawyers stating their clients maintained their innocence and had their lives disrupted by the allegations.
The heist involved the theft of over 6,500 gold bars, valued at C$20 million (approximately $14.5 million), and millions in cash from a cargo facility. Police allege that a fake airway bill was used to access the goods, which arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland, and that a truck was used to transport the approximately 400kg of gold.
Earlier this year, one man was sentenced to four years in prison by a Canadian court for his role in planning the theft. Separately, a man was sentenced to 160 months in prison in the US for conspiring to illegally traffic firearms, with Canadian police alleging the money for the guns originated from the gold heist. Two other individuals are awaiting separate trials later this year on conspiracy to commit theft charges, to which they have pleaded not guilty.