Man accused in massive gold heist at Toronto's Pearson airport pleads not guilty as trial begins
Parmpal Sidhu pleaded not guilty as his trial began for his alleged role as an "inside man" in a massive 2023 gold heist at Toronto's Pearson airport. The Crown alleges Sidhu used his profile to print a fraudulent air waybill, which was then altered and used by the driver, Durante King-Mclean, to pick up the gold.
Why it matters
This trial sheds light on a high-profile, large-scale criminal operation, potentially revealing details about airport security vulnerabilities and the methods used in sophisticated heists.
Parmpal Sidhu was one of the "inside men" with the knowledge and access to help carry out the 2023 heist, Crown attorney Jelena Vlacic told a Brampton, Ont., court Monday as Sidhu's trial began.
The trial is expected to hear evidence that the fraudulent air waybill was printed on site the day before the operation using Sidhu's profile, and the Crown alleges he was the one who printed it, Vlacic said in her opening statement.
The driver who picked up the gold had an air waybill for a seafood shipment, but the document was altered with a handwritten number for the gold shipment, she said.
The Crown alleges the driver is Durante King-Mclean, an Ontario man who U.S. authorities say fled south shortly after the heist. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in September 2023 and has since pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic firearms, U.S. officials said.
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