Controversy after theft of 400 kg of gold and 50 kg of cash at Canadian airport

The theft of 24 gold bars and $2.7 million in cash in April at Toronto's Pearson International Airport was one of the largest in Canada, according to The Guardian on November 20. The criminals used fake bills of lading to receive the valuable goods.

Air Canada aircraft at Pearson Airport

In October, US cash management company Brink's alleged in a court filing that a security lapse by Air Canada led to the theft, which occurred 42 minutes after the cargo arrived at an airport warehouse.

Air Canada responded, alleging that Brink's moved the gold and cash from Zurich, Switzerland, to Toronto without declaring the value, without purchasing insurance, and without paying extra for security.

Brink's claims it paid extra for the shipment and noted on the waybill that Air Canada employees knew the cargo contained gold bars and cash, requiring "special supervision" of the boxes.

In the lawsuit, Brink's claims that the thieves were able to get away with the gold using only a forged bill of lading because Air Canada did not have adequate security arrangements in place to handle the cargo. This lack of security allowed the thieves to get away with 400 kilograms of gold and more than 50 kilograms of cash.

Air Canada invoked the Montreal Convention, which governs international carriage of goods, to seek a cap on the amount of compensation for lost cargo. The Canadian airline said the convention limits the company's financial liability and argued the claim was excessive for a loss that the company did not cause.

Meanwhile, Brink's argues that there is no limit to the amount of compensation under the convention. The court is currently reviewing the case and the parties' arguments.

So far, police have not found the stolen gold and cash and no suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft, according to CBC.

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