Charges withdrawn against Ontario man in Canada's largest gold theft case

Criminal charges against an Ontario man accused in connection with what investigators have described as Canada's largest gold theft have been withdrawn.

The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General confirmed that charges against 46-year-old Ammad Chaudhry were withdrawn in a Brampton court. Chaudhry had been arrested in 2024 and charged with theft over $5,000 and accessory after the fact. The ministry did not provide a reason for the withdrawal of the charges.

According to investigators, the case stems from the April 17, 2023 theft of approximately $20 million worth of gold from an Air Canada cargo facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Police have alleged that the stolen gold was melted down and sold to finance other criminal activity.

Court proceedings involving other accused continue. Arsalan Chaudhry has already been sentenced to four years in prison in connection with the case. Meanwhile, truck driver Durante King-McLean, who was accused of transporting the stolen gold, is serving a 13-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania after being convicted in the United States on firearms trafficking charges.