Border security seized 30 outbound stolen vehicles in GTA

The Canada Border Services Agency seized 30 stolen vehicles that were about to be shipped out of the Greater Toronto Area last month.

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The Canada Border Services Agency seized 30 stolen vehicles that were about to be shipped out of the Greater Toronto Area last month, bringing the total number of intercepted stolen vehicles to over 1,500 nationwide this year.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently reported that it “recovered” 30 stolen vehicles, valued at over $800,000, destined for export last month. The announcement was made in a post on X, which included a slide show of the recovered vehicles.

According to the CBSA’s report on combating illicit trafficking at the border, 204 stolen vehicles from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) were intercepted at the border by the end of November 2025. This marks a more than threefold decrease compared to the 680 vehicles recovered in 2024, though December data has yet to be reported.

Local police in the GTA suggest auto-theft crimes have been trending down. Peel Regional Police disclosed an over 23 per cent decline in auto theft reports from 2023 to 2024 in its annual report. In September, Toronto Police Services reported that calls for service for auto theft in their jurisdiction declined by 33 per cent in 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

Across Canada, the CBSA recovered 1,506 vehicles this year, a 33 per cent decline from 2024. This suggests a potential end to the upward trend in vehicle recoveries at ports of entry since 2018, though December data for 2025 has not yet been reported.

“Export examinations are a part of the CBSA’s export control regulatory mandate. Border services officers are responsible for conducting these types of exams at ports of entry across the country,” the report said. “CBSA officers in local export units have the authority to conduct daily audits of export declarations, primary examination, and select containers of interest for secondary examination at docks or warehouses.“

The CBSA also reported 26,669 total seizures of all illicit goods in the first two quarters of 2025.

In the first two quarters, 811 grams of fentanyl were seized at the border. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency considers 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be a potentially lethal dose for an average “opioid-naive adult.” The seized fentanyl could be enough to kill over 400,000 Canadians.

The agency also seized over 1,921 kilograms of cocaine and more than 40 kilograms of heroin.

Additionally, the border security agency reported seizing over 1.7 million cartons of illicit cigarettes.

Policing expert Danny Fournier, the senior manager of illicit trade prevention at Rothmans Benson and Hedges Canada, warned True North that the contraband tobacco industryfuels organized crime. He said that “with organized crime comes a host of other crime and safety concerns to the communities the groups traffic in.”