Police recovered more than a dozen vehicles in Quebec as part of an auto theft investigation involving a classic car dealership in Southwestern Ontario.
The OPP worked with several police forces in Quebec to conduct 18 searches in the province on Nov. 19, resulting in the recovery of 13 vehicles, some of them classic cars, reported stolen in Ontario, the OPP said Tuesday.
Police aren’t releasing any details about the recovered vehicles, citing the active investigation.
The new development in the case comes amid mounting criticism from people who say they unknowingly bought stolen vintage vehicles they later were forced to surrender to police or face a criminal charge.
“We empathize with those affected by this investigation, including the rightful owners of the stolen vehicles and those who unknowingly purchased them,” OPP Insp. Chris Avery, the Lambton County detachment commander, said in a statement.
“The investigative team will continue to work diligently to support those impacted and continue to hold accountable those who commit fraudulent activities.”
The OPP didn’t respond to an interview request.
The OPP launched an investigation in late 2023 after a Lambton County resident reported multiple vehicles stolen. Investigators searched a property in Stirling, north of Belleville, and seized 45 vehicles, including classic cars valued at $3 million on May 14, police said at the time.
Robert Bradshaw, 54, and Gary Leblanc, 55, both of Stirling, were charged with motor vehicle theft valued at more than $5,000, fraud worth more than $5,000, using forged documents and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
Court documents allege the men stole “numerous motor vehicles” from Larry Grogan, the owner of Grogan Classics, between Jan. 1, 2020, and May 9, 2024, and used “deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means” to fraudulently obtain replacement ownerships.
Bradshaw is additionally charged with uttering threats to cause bodily harm to Grogan in September and allegedly defrauding Todd Schwindt, the owner of EG Auctions in Sylvan Lake, Alta., out of $365,000 in April, the documents say.
Police also have charged two more people, Michael McCrory, 58, of Central Hastings and Charlotte Johnston, 53, with the same theft- and fraud-related offences as Leblanc and Bradshaw.
People whose vehicles were seized by police have started a Facebook group, where users have posted photos showing them surrendering their vehicles and shared details about their experiences with the group’s 2,700 members.
One of those members, Denis Ro Dodindon, of Laval, Que., posted a photo on Nov. 19 showing his vehicle on a flatbed truck accompanied by the caption: It’s my turn.
Ro Dodindon wrote he wasn’t given a warning before police showed up at his home at 7 a.m. with a warrant to take his vehicle.