Man who admitted involvement in gold heist at Toronto's Pearson airport gets 4 years

A truck used to transport stolen gold is displayed at a press conference regarding Project 24K a joint investigation into the theft of gold from Pearson International Airport, in Brampton, Ont., on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

TORONTO — A man who admitted his role in the massive gold and cash heist from Toronto’s Pearson airport has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Court documents show that 44-year-old Arsalan Chaudhary was sentenced in a Brampton, Ont., courthouse on Wednesday and given 40 years to pay back $22 million in restitution.

Chaudhary was arrested earlier this year as he flew in from Dubai and he was charged in what police have called the largest gold heist in Canadian history.

Police have said that on April 17, 2023, a flight arriving from Zurich, Switzerland carried a cargo shipment containing 400 kilograms of gold — valued at more than $20 million at the time — and about $2.5 million in foreign currency, and the items were reported missing from a separate area of Pearson airport the following day.

Multiple suspects have since been arrested in the case and as of earlier this year, two others — including a former Air Canada employee — were still at large.

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Court documents show that Chaudhary pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and his prison sentence includes a credit of 174 days, some of which were previously spent in custody.

Police have said that they believe the suspects melted the stolen gold and sold it to fund illegal activities, including the purchase of illegal firearms.

Investigators were able to seize at least one kilogram of gold believed to be from the theft, as well as smelting equipment and several hundred thousand dollars in currency.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.