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A man who was among several people charged in the massive Toronto Pearson International Airport gold heist two years ago had his charges dropped by prosecutors on Wednesday.
Jeweller Ali Raza, 40, was charged in 2024 with possession of property obtained by crime and was also accused of melting the stolen loot.
During a court hearing in Brampton, Crown prosecutor Jelena Vlacic said the Crown decided to halt proceedings against Raza after prosecutors concluded the case rested on circumstantial evidence and had no reasonable prospect of conviction.
The Crown’s reasons are covered under a publication ban as other men accused in the case are still awaiting their trial.
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Second accused to have charges dropped
On Tuesday, the Crown also dropped charges against another one of the accused under similar circumstances in the same Brampton court.
Amit Jalota, 42, whose arrest was announced on the same day as Raza’s by Peel Regional Police, had been charged with conspiracy to commit theft over $5,000, theft over $5,000 in gold and bank notes and unlawful possession of property knowing it was obtained by an indictable offence.
Raza and Jalota have maintained their innocence throughout the legal proceedings.
The dropped charges came months after one of the perceived masterminds of the gold heist was sentenced to four years in jail and ordered to pay back $22 million in restitution to Brinks .
A handcuffed suspect in the 2023 Pearson International Airport gold heist – Arsalan Chaudhary – is put in the custody of Peel Regional Police after arriving on a flight from Dubai at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
Heist’s mastermind recently sentenced
Arsalan Chaudhary, 44, pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 after he surrendered to authorities in January.
Chaudhary had fled to Dubai, but turned himself in once he returned to Toronto through arrangements made through his lawyers.
In the agreed statement of facts read in court in March, Chaudhary admitted to being one of the organizers of the heist and to helping arrange for the stolen gold to be transported to a Mississauga jeweller to be melted down.
None of the stolen gold has been recovered.
The heist happened on April 17, 2023, involving an Air Canada cargo flight that arrived from Zurich, Switzerland, carrying 400 kg of gold worth $20 million and about $2.5 million in foreign currency.
The gold and cash were reported missing the following day.