Peel police break up ‘violent criminal network’ behind luxury car thefts

Posted October 19, 2026 11:50 am

2 min read

0:34 Auto theft trending toward ‘pre-crisis levels’ across Canada: report

Peel Regional Police say they’ve broken up a “violent criminal network” that was linked to carjackings and luxury vehicle thefts across the Greater Toronto Area.

Det. Sgt. Earl Scott told reporters Monday that 10 people are facing a total of 128 charges in connection to Project High Guard, an eight-month-long investigation that began in March.

Police allege the group was behind 21 carjackings and high-end vehicle thefts between June 2025 and April 2026 in the GTA.

“Some of these events left victims with severe injuries,” Scott said.

“The identified culprits brandished knives, firearms and utilized violent physical assaults during the carjackings.”

As an example, police played a video of a carjacking that occurred in Brampton last summer. The video shows a suspect attacking a driver of a Rolls Royce outside a business to take control of the car. The victim was left with injuries as a result of the attack, Scott said.

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The network itself included people who would target vehicles, some who coordinated robberies, some who carried them out, as well as, recruiters who targeted youth. The network was also made up of individuals responsible for coordinating the sales of stolen cars, Scott said.

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Of the 10 people arrested, two were youths, he added. Some of the charges they all face include participating in a criminal organization, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and failure to comply with release orders.

Police conducted a series of raids across the region on Sept. 3 and seized 15 stolen vehicles worth $1.4 million as well as weapons, drugs and vehicle reprogramming devices, Scott said. One of the vehicles seized was heading out for export at the Port of Montreal.

“The 10 people we’ve arrested, we believe that they are the ones responsible for this network,” Scott said.

“These networks will utilize a variety of different people. They have contacts through social media, through friends and simply put, they’re looking for profit. They’ll put out an opportunity to make money into their networks that they know and recruit people for a specific job.”

Chief Nishan Duraiappah said vehicle thefts across Peel Region are down more than 50 per cent since peaking in 2023 and have dropped 10 per cent year-to-date in 2026.