(Toronto) Brink’s is suing Air Canada in connection with a $20 million gold theft that occurred at Toronto Pearson Airport last spring.
In court filings, the U.S. security company claims an unidentified individual gained access to one of the airline’s cargo warehouses on April 17 and presented a fraudulent packing slip — a document typically issued by a carrier with delivery details — to Air Canada personnel.
The suit, filed Friday in Federal Court, claims staff then handed over 400 kilograms of gold and nearly $2 million in cash to the thief, who immediately left with the cargo.
The suit says the nation’s largest airline was negligent and failed to take appropriate security measures to prevent the theft of the cargo, valued at about $22 million in total.
Air Canada declined to comment on the case, which has not been proven in court as it works its way through the legal system.
According to Brink’s statement, two Swiss companies — precious metals refinery Valcambi SA and retail bank Raiffeisen Switzerland — hired her to provide security and logistics for the expensive packages and compensate them for any losses.