Etobicoke auto-theft ring suspect Luis Bello-Reyes (top left) was out on bail when arrested. He and the other suspects, three who from Quebec.
An Etobicoke man is among eight suspects rounded up in an auto theft ring that was allegedly stealing high-end vehicles parked outside expensive Toronto hotels.
The group members would drive the stolen vehicles to so-called ‘cool off’ zones to avoid police detection before they were shipped overseas from the Port of Montreal, according to Halton Regional Police.
Police believe as many as 75 vehicles were stolen after their ‘Project Mulligan,’ began last fall following thefts from hotel lots near main highways in Oakville and Burlington.
Detectives alleged the thieves were “casing hotel lots” during the overnight hours and targeting Toyota and Lexus SUVs as well as Dodge and Toyota pickup trucks.
Officers have been able to identify 20 hotel lots where vehicles were stolen from. A number of the ‘cooling off areas’ were located where the vehicles were temporary stored until shipment abroad.
Halton police said eight were arrested and 18 high-end vehicles seized that were allegedly stolen from expensive hotel parking lots.
The suspects were a “crew of organized auto thieves,” according to police.
Halton officers alleged the crooks would smash a vehicle window, access the onboard diagnostic system and reprogram the key fob. Once stolen the vehicle’s GPS system would be disabled to evade police tracking and then parked for a while before being shipped overseas in containers.
Police recovered 18 stolen vehicles, including two that were found inside shipping containers.
“Auto thieves continue to incorporate a variety of techniques to commit these thefts while engaging in varying strategies to avoid detection and arrest,” said Superintendent Dave Stewart.
Luis Bello-Reyes, 29, of Etobicoke, and others from the GTA and three from Quebec, have been charged with about 90 offences relating to vehicle thefts and possession of stolen property.
Bello-Reyes was charged with 16 counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, 14 counts of theft of motor vehicle, trafficking stolen property and other offences. He and another suspect were out of bail for other crimes.