Prosecutors drop charges against jeweller accused in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist

Toronto prosecutors have decided to dismiss all charges against jeweller Ali Raza, who was accused of knowingly receiving large amounts of gold stolen from Toronto Pearson airport. During a court hearing on Wednesday, Crown attorney Jelena Vlacic stated that there was no reasonable chance of conviction, leading to the decision to halt the proceedings.

The Crown's reasons for dropping the charges are currently under a publication ban and cannot be disclosed at this time. Raza, along with several others, was charged more than two years ago in connection with what police described as the largest gold heist in Canadian history. His legal team maintains Raza's innocence throughout the case.

Earlier this week, the Crown also withdrew charges against Amit Jalota, another suspect in the case, citing the negative impact on Jalota's life and his family's financial difficulties. A man who admitted to his role in the heist was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to repay $22 million in restitution last spring. The heist, which occurred on April 17, 2023, involved a flight arriving from Zurich, Switzerland, carrying 400 kilograms of gold and approximately $2.5 million in foreign currency.

The stolen items were reported missing from a different area of Pearson airport the following day. A jury trial is set to begin in a few weeks for the remaining accused.