An investigation launched by the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) in April 2025 following the theft of a single Lexus SUV turned into a complex investigation into organized auto theft networks operating across Southern Ontario.
Since November 2025, NRPS detectives have investigated over 50 thefts and attempted thefts of newer model Lexus and Toyota vehicles within Niagara Region, with estimated losses exceeding $20 million across Southern Ontario.
To help respond to this growing trend, investigators launched Project Jack Links in December 2025. This project was designed to target organized criminal groups involved in the theft and trafficking of high-end vehicles throughout Niagara.
The investigation led NRPS detectives to identify multiple separate and independent criminal networks operating across Southern Ontario. The objective of these groups was to steal specific types of cars and transport them out of the province, before eventually trafficking them overseas for resale.
The NRPS ultimately worked with several partner agencies, including police in Hamilton, Halton, Peel, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, local police in Montreal, Quebec’s provincial police force, as well as the Canada Border Services Agency and the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.
The NRPS believes that the individuals that were ultimately charged were responsible for over 112 motor vehicle thefts. Most of these occurred in Niagara Region, but the investigation also identified related thefts in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding communities, including Hamilton, Brantford, Caledonia, Oakville, Burlington, London, Waterloo, Cambridge, Etobicoke, and Toronto.
On Jan. 8, police arrested two 17-year-olds in St. Catharines, charging them with 11 counts. Their names cannot be released to the public due to their age.
Last month, on April 14, members of the NRPS partnered with Hamilton police to search a residence in Hamilton as part of the ongoing investigation. This led to 18-year-old Nemr Alawad and 23-year-old Farouk Alawad, both of Hamilton, being arrested and charged with a variety of offences.
Then, on May 14, the NRPS, working with Peel and Halton police, executed four search warrants at various locations across Mississauga and Oakville, leading to the arrest of five male youths between the ages of 16 and 17. Again, because of their age, their names cannot be released.
Twenty-year-old Ryan Ramayah Permauloo of North Dumfries and 22-year-old Mamadi Kaba of Quebec were also arrested and charged with a variety of offences connected to the operation.
According to the NRPS, the investigation remains active and ongoing.
“Project Jack Links highlights the growing impact organized auto theft networks are having on communities not only across Ontario, but across Canada,” said NRPS Chief Bill Fordy. “What started as the theft of a single vehicle quickly uncovered a much larger and highly coordinated criminal operation spanning several jurisdictions.”
“I want to recognize the exceptional work of our investigators and thank our broader policing and border enforcement partners for their collaboration throughout this investigation,” Fordy added. “Working together, we were able to recover stolen vehicles destined for overseas markets while disrupting organized criminal activity and identifying individuals believed to be connected to dozens of theft-related offences.”
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
