Car Theft: Gatineau follows a stolen car to the Port of Montreal

Thanks to Apple AirTag, Mark Roos knows where his stolen 2021 Dodge Ram TRX is.

“It hit the port of Montreal,” he said.

His $135,000 truck was taken from his Gatineau home in the middle of the night in January. Two weeks later, there was hope when his phone was notified, but his hopes were quickly dashed.

“(The police) said they couldn't do anything because they were inside the port,” he explained. “They have to report it to port authorities and they probably won't do anything about it.”

Tonight, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CTV News that they will be able to apprehend the stolen vehicle with the help of police only if they know the exact container of the stolen vehicle. In short, the AirTag announcement is not enough.

It wasn't the first car stolen by the Roos. He owns a Bells Corners car dealership. Last summer, the lot gate locks were cut and a '95 Chevy Silverado was stolen and never recovered.

It's part of an alarming trend as thieves target high-end SUVs and trucks in Canada.

“Behind this is mainly organized crime. This is not a victimless crime,” said Brian Gast, Équité's vice president of investigative services. “There are a lot of stolen vehicles in Ontario and Quebec. We are working with law enforcement on this.”

A recent report shows a sharp increase in car theft since 2021.

Ontario saw a 48.2 percent increase, Quebec 57.9 percent, Atlantic Canada 34 percent and western Canada 5.5 percent.

A national summit on auto theft is being held in Ottawa on Thursday. All levels of government, the CBSA, law enforcement and industry experts are expected to participate.

Meanwhile, Roos isn't optimistic he'll ever see his truck again.

“I want my truck back, we know where it is,” he said. “I want someone to walk in there.”