Thieves use hollowed-out toy hauler to transport stolen vehicles

A Canadian police agency is rightly strutting its stuff. The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) called it “Project Ninja.” Ninja has taken down a ring of clever crooks. The thieves used a hollowed-out toy hauler to transport stolen vehicles. With four crooks on the lam, four others are cooling their heels in Canadian jail cells.

Algerian car-theft ring

The ring of alleged car thieves are Algerian nationals who moved to Quebec, Canada. From there, they moved on over to short-term rentals in the Greater Toronto area. It was there their illicit—if not clever—car stealing took place.

The crooks acquired a fair-sized fifth wheel and gutted it. The slide-out exterior was left in place, but the interior side-walls were removed along with its ceiling. Away went interior partitions, galley counters, and appliances. From the outside, it looked like any ordinary “let’s hit the road” RV a big family might use to vacation.

Thieves used a hollowed-out toy hauler to obscure the loot

But the hollowed-out toy hauler was never headed for a campground. Rather, the crooks allegedly stole a large number of vehicles in the Halton Region. That’s an area in Southern Ontario’s so-called Golden Horseshoe, a prosperous area including Burlington, Oakville, and Milton. After stealing a car, the crooks evidently drove it to a more secluded location where the toy hauler turned loot hauler was waiting.

Project Ninja – Toy Hauler RV footage. Press release with investigation details to come. pic.twitter.com/HUYhL1MR96

— Halton Police (@HaltonPolice) September 11, 2024

With the stolen car inside, the thieves then leisurely pulled the fifth wheel from the area to the Port of Montreal, a distance of 370 miles. Trying to drive a “hot” car that distance certainly wouldn’t go unnoticed, but tucked away inside a toy hauler, it was an ingenious work of camouflage.

“Not the first, nor will it be the last”

A media release from authorities spells out more details. On August 24, 2024, HRPS officers arrested three suspects in relation to the investigation. A criminal code search warrant was subsequently executed for a short-term rental in Oshawa, where additional evidence was located and seized. Included in the seizure was a large toy hauler RV that was used to conceal and transport the stolen vehicles.

“Auto theft is more than simply stealing cars. The proceeds made from stolen vehicles are funding organized crime that impacts the safety and well-being of all law-abiding residents,” said Deputy Chief of Police Jeff Hill. “Today’s announcement is not the first, nor will it be the last. The Halton Regional Police Service remains firmly committed to combatting this priority issue at all levels and we will continue to do everything in our power to identify, capture, and bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.”

The four suspects already arrested range from age 23 to 35. Among them they face charges including Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime – Over $5000, Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offense, Trafficking Stolen Property – Over $5000, and Fail to Comply with a Release Order. As mentioned, four other suspects are being pursued.

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