This Jaguar was among vehicles stolen and then taken apart for parts to be illegally sold, according to police. (Photo: Peel Regional Police)
Four men have been charged in a steal-and-dismantle scheme in which police say numerous luxury cars were stolen and then stripped down at a Mississauga auto shop before their valuable parts were sold for cash.
Commercial auto crime cops with Peel Regional Police said the alleged criminal operation came to light on April 9 when they followed a newer model Mercedes-Benz that was stolen from a Brampton shopping plaza.
Investigators “quickly tracked the vehicle” to an auto shop on Netherhart Road near Pearson Airport in Mississauga, police said in a news release.
There, police discovered numerous “other high-end stolen vehicles which were in the process of being dismantled and destroyed.”
Police identified eight stolen vehicles worth a total of $225,000 as part of their investigation.
According to police, VIN numbers had been scratched off the stolen cars and large parts of the vehicles, including engines, could be found throughout the auto shop and surrounding area.
“Stolen vehicles were being stripped of valuable parts and the remainder of the vehicle’s body would be sent to a local metal recycling facility. The vehicle parts would then be sold for a profit,” police said.
A search warrant executed the following day, April 10, at the auto repair garage led to the discovery by police of more car parts and equipment used to take the cars apart.
Four men were arrested and they each face 18 charges, police said.
Raynor Bucknor, 56, of Mississauga, Washburn Ellott, 54, of Brampton, Kevin Thomas, 53, of Milton, and Steven Uka, 60, of Etobicoke, are each charged with theft of motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime (10 counts), tamper/alter/deface VIN (three counts) and mischief over $5,000 (four counts).
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call police at 905-453-3311, ext. 3313, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
(Photos: Peel Regional Police)
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