Why is Montreal a center for exporting stolen cars? According to officials, jurisdictional limits and scope

Between mid-December and the end of March, police searched nearly 400 shipping containers at the Port of Montreal and found nearly 600 stolen vehicles, most of them from the Toronto area.

The operation revealed that Canada's second largest port has become a major transportation hub for the export of stolen vehicles.

According to the police, this is due to the strategic location of the port and the large volume of containers.

According to experts, jurisdictional restrictions, staffing shortages and organized crime are obstacles to preventing car theft.

Port of Montreal spokeswoman Rene LaRouche says it works closely with police and border services, but port officials can only open containers to save lives or harm the environment.

So far this year, the Canada Border Services Agency has intercepted 300 stolen vehicles from rail yards in the Toronto area, and in 2023, 12 hundred stolen vehicles were found at the Port of Montreal.