5 arrests made, dozens of charges laid in connection to series of Guelph break-ins

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 1:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: March 10

Police successful Guelph person arrested and charged 5 Toronto-area men successful transportation to a bid of break-ins involving 9 convenience stores and 1 car assemblage repair shop.

According to a merchandise sent retired by Guelph Police Service (GPS) connected Monday, constabulary began investigating a bid of commercialized break-ins successful December. Large quantities of cigarettes and OLG lottery scratch tickets were stolen from the convenience stores. Two vehicles were besides stolen from a Guelph car repair store and utilized to assistance further break-ins, constabulary said. 

The probe by the GPS Break Enter and Auto Theft Unit led officers to a radical of men from the GTA who constabulary believed were moving together. 

Four men were arrested with assistance from the Drug and Intelligence units. A 5th antheral was already successful custody connected a abstracted charge.

"At the clip constabulary made arrests, immoderate of the accused were successful the process of purchasing balaclavas," the merchandise said.

Approximately 6,500 packs of cigarettes were recovered, valued astatine $100,000 and much than 800 OLG lottery scratch tickets. Police besides recovered $10,000 of currency arsenic good arsenic skis masks and break-in tools.

Five men from Toronto and Brampton are facing dozens of charges including interruption and enter, disguise with intent and possession of stolen spot implicit $5,000. They scope successful property from 24 to 37.

The radical of men are besides connected to 10 break-ins successful Waterloo portion and 2 successful London, and constabulary said they expect the men volition beryllium facing much charges.

"This probe has interrupted a important spot transgression radical impacting Southern Ontario businesses," the merchandise said.

"The palmy decision of this probe by our Break Enter and Auto Theft Unit demonstrates the worth of strategical nationalist information investments successful our community. We volition proceed to enactment intimately with our instrumentality enforcement partners to code multi-jurisdictional transgression arsenic we question to guarantee the information our citizens.  Those who perpetrate these crimes successful our metropolis tin expect to beryllium held accountable," said Guelph Police Chief Gord Cobey successful the release.