Toronto (Canada) May 22 (EFE) – Canada is one of the main points of departure for stolen vehicles sent by criminal organizations to Africa and the Middle East, according to what Interpol announced to Canadian public radio and television, CBC. .
Interpol, headquartered in the French city of Lyon, indicated that Canada is now one of the top 10 countries of origin of stolen cars.
“In recent years, Canada has emerged as a major stolen vehicle country, in part due to the large number of high-value models available, such as SUVs and crossovers,” he said.
Canadian authorities said that the destination of many luxury cars stolen in Canada is West Africa and the Middle East.
The Canadian government and independent organizations estimate that between 90,000 and 100,000 vehicles are stolen each year in the country.
The Canadian Insurance Association Équité Association published a report in February that revealed that between 2021 and 2023, car theft increased by 48% in the province of Ontario, the most populous in the country, and by 57.9% in Quebec.
Vehicle theft will cost insurance companies more than 1 billion Canadian dollars (730 million US dollars or 675 million euros) in 2023.
In April, Canadian police announced the recovery of 598 vehicles that had been stolen and were about to be sent from the Port of Montreal to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.
Vehicle theft has reached crisis levels in Canada, which is why the government has already announced it will tighten its legislation to deter theft.
