Six people have been arrested, including a jeweler and a commercial airline employee, and police have issued warrants for three more suspects in connection with what they say the single-largest gold robbery in Canadian history.

According to Peel Regional Police in Ontario, a joint investigation with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) resulted in the filing of nearly two dozen charges against the suspects in connection with the nearly $20 million Canadian dollar ($14.5 million) heist that occurred a year ago.

During a news conference in Ontario on Wednesday, Peel Regional Police Detective-Sergeant Mike Mavity told reporters that 400 kilograms of gold bars weighing more than 900 pounds, as well as approximately CA$2.5 million ($1.8 million) in stolen bank notes, were hijacked at Toronto Pearson International Airport after arriving on a commercial flight from Europe.

In total, 6,600 gold bars of various sizes were stolen, each of which was “99.9% pure and contained individualized serial numbers,” according to Mavity.

According to Peel Regional Police in Ontario, a joint investigation with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) resulted in nearly two dozen charges being filed against the suspects in connection with the nearly $20 million Canadian dollar heist that occurred on April 17, 2023.

On April 17, 2023, the gold and money were loaded into the hull of an Air Canada flight in “an approved airline container” bound for Toronto.

At 3:56 p.m. same day, the flight arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and the gold and cash were quickly removed from the aircraft and transported to an Air Canada facility.

At 6:32 p.m., a man suspect came at air can freight driving a 5-ton truck and approached the property with what police called a counterfeit airway bill, a document used by carriers to track shipments.

Shortly after, a forklift arrived and loaded the item into the suspect’s truck. The suspect then drove off.

According to a police press release, officials discovered the document bill at 2:43 a.m. the next day to be a duplicate of an airline bill for a valid shipment of fish delivered and picked up the day before.

According to Mavity, the fake bill was produced at the Air Canada facility, and when officials discovered the products were gone, they used security footage to monitor part of the suspect’s subsequent trip until losing track of the truck in north Milton, an Ontario suburb.

Police stated that the crime was an inside operation and that a former Air Canada manager was wanted in the case.

So far police said they have arrested the following suspects in connection to the gold heist case:

• Air Canada employee Parmpal Sidhu, 54, of Ontario
• Jewelry store owner Ali Raza, 37, of Toronto
• Amit Jalota, 40, of Ontario
• Ammad Chaudhary, 43, of Ontario
• Prasath Paramalingam, 35, of Ontario

All five were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in court at a later date, Mavity said.

The truck driver who allegedly picked up the gold, Durante King-Mclean, 25 of Ontario, is currently in custody in the U.S. on firearms and trafficking related charges.

Here are the suspects at large:

• Air Canada manager Simran Preet Panesar, 31, of Ontario
• Archit Grover, 36, of Ontario
• Arsalan Chaudhary, 42, of Ontario

Only CA$90,000 ($65,000) of the more than CA$20 million recovered, said to Peel Regional Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich.

According to US Today, U.S. ATF Special Agent Eric DeGree, King-Mclean was detained in Pennsylvania following a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of 65 illicit guns destined for Canada. According to DeGree, King-Mclean attempted to flee after police discovered the firearms in a rental car he was driving.

According to Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, two of the individuals identified by police worked for the airline’s cargo division at the time of the crime.

“One left the company prior to the arrests announced today, and the second has been suspended,” he stated, according to the site. “Because matter is now before the courts, we are unable to speak further.

According to the announcement, only about CA $90,000 (one kilogram of gold) has been found and melted down into bangle bracelets. According to authorities, the remaining gold was most likely melted down and used to purchase illicit weaponry.

“I commend our investigators, the ATF, other law enforcement partners, and our community for working together to identify and arrest those responsible for this brazen crime,” Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement this week.

Anyone with information regarding the case should contact Peel Regional Police.

WARSAW, Poland – A Polish man has been arrested on suspicion of preparing to spy for Russia’s military intelligence in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Polish prosecutors said Thursday.

According to a statement released by Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office, the individual, known only as Pawel K. under Polish privacy regulations, was accused of preparing to transmit airport security information to Russian agents and was arrested in Poland on Wednesday.

Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

The man was looking for contact with Russians directly involved in the war in Ukraine and was expected to provide detailed information about the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in south-east Poland, near the Ukrainian border, which serves as the gateway for international military and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. It also caters to leaders and politicians traveling in and out of Ukraine. The airport is controlled by US soldiers.

If convicted, the guy faces up to eight years in prison, according to the statement.

Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

The prosecutors claimed that close cooperation with Ukrainian prosecutors and security agencies, who tipped them off and provided crucial evidence, made the arrest possible. They stated the case is progressing.

On Thursday, prosecutors in Germany announced the arrest of two German-Russian individuals on suspicion of espionage, with one accused of agreeing to carry out assaults on potential targets, including US military bases, in the hopes of damaging supplies to Ukraine.

Dieter S. and Alexander J. were arrested Wednesday in Bayreuth, Bavaria, according to German federal authorities.

Since Moscow initiated its campaign on Ukraine in February 2022, several persons have been arrested in Poland on suspicion of spying for Russia, including a dual Russian-Spanish citizen.

Poland Arrests Man Suspected Of Spying For Russia To Aid Zelenskyy Assassination Plot

Poland, a European Union member, has been a loyal backer of neighboring Ukraine and Zelenskyy in their fight against Russia’s aggression for more than two years.

SOURCE – (AP)

DALLAS – The first model of the USS Enterprise, which appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series, has returned home, decades after it went stolen.

The model’s disappearance in the 1970s had become a source of legend, so when it appeared on eBay last fall, it generated quite the commotion. The sellers promptly removed it and called Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it. The auction house helped arrange the model’s return last weekend.

Long-Lost First Model Of The USS Enterprise From ‘Star Trek’ Boldly Goes Home After Twisting Voyage

Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said he is overjoyed to have the model that formerly graced his father’s desk, who died in 1991 at age 70.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” Roddenberry remarked. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president, stated that the auction house was approached by persons who claimed to have discovered it in a storage unit, and when it was brought into their Beverly Hills office, he and a colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing.”

They contacted Roddenberry, who expressed his gratitude that everyone involved felt that returning the model was the correct thing to do. He would not go into detail about the arrangement reached, but he did say, “I felt it was important to reward and show appreciation for that.”

Maddalena claimed the model vanished in the 1970s when Gene Roddenberry loaned it to the producers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979.

Long-Lost First Model Of The USS Enterprise From ‘Star Trek’ Boldly Goes Home After Twisting Voyage

“No one knew what happened to it,” Rod Roddenberry admitted.

The 3-foot (0.91-meter) model of the USS Enterprise was used in both the show’s initial pilot episode and the opening credits of the subsequent TV series, and it served as a prototype for the 11-foot (3-meter) version seen in the series’ episodes. The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian has the larger replica on display.

The original “Star Trek” television series, which debuted in the late 1960s, sparked an ever-expanding universe of cultural phenomena, including TV and movie spinoffs and conventions where a rabid and committed Trekkie fandom can’t get enough memorabilia.

This USS Enterprise replica might easily fetch more than $1 million at auction, but “it’s priceless,” Maddalena stated.

“It could sell for any amount and I wouldn’t be surprised because of what it is,” he told me. “It is truly a cultural icon.”

Roddenberry, who was a little boy when the model went away, described his memories as “almost a deja vu.” He stated he hadn’t given it any attention until people started contacting him after it surfaced on eBay.

“I don’t think I really, fully comprehended at first that this was the first Enterprise ever created,” he told me.

He added he doesn’t know if there was something sinister behind the disappearance decades ago or if it was simply misplaced, but it would be intriguing to learn more about what happened Star Trek.

Long-Lost First Model Of The USS Enterprise From ‘Star Trek’ Boldly Goes Home After Twisting Voyage

“This piece is incredibly important and it has its own story and this would be a great piece of the story,” added Roddenberry.

Fortunately, he claimed, the finding has put an end to one rumor: that it was destroyed because he threw it into a pool as a child.

“Finally, I’m vindicated after all these years,” he stated with a giggle.

SOURCE – (AP)