Project Nokargo leads to seizure of 392 stolen vehicles worth $28 million

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have uncovered an attempt to illegally export 392 stolen vehicles as part of Project Nokargo. Authorities say the recovered vehicles have an estimated value of $28 million.

According to the CBSA, the pilot initiative was launched in June 2025 in partnership with the RCMP, Interpol Ottawa and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). The project's primary goal is to disrupt the illegal export of stolen vehicles through Canada's major seaports, and officials say it has already produced significant results.

Investigators found that organized crime networks were using fraudulent documents to obtain vehicle loans and insurance before shipping the stolen vehicles overseas. The scheme is believed to have cost insurance companies an estimated $900 million in losses last year.

The CBSA said enhanced intelligence sharing and close coordination among partner agencies enabled authorities to intercept hundreds of stolen vehicles before they could be exported through the ports of Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver over the past year.