New evidence prompts prosecutors to drop charges against jeweller in Pearson gold heist

Police officers open the back of a recovered truck during 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

Prosecutors have dropped the charges against a jeweller accused of knowingly receiving large amounts of gold stolen in a massive heist at Toronto’s Pearson airport.

In a brief court hearing today, Crown attorney Jelena Vlacic said they made the decision to stop the proceedings against Ali Raza based on new evidence.

Vlacic said that evidence is covered under a publication ban and cannot be reported at this time.

Raza was charged alongside several others more than two years ago in relation to what police have called the largest gold heist in Canadian history.

His lawyer says the jeweller has maintained his innocence throughout the case.

This spring, a man who admitted his role in the heist was sentenced to four years in prison and given 40 years to pay back $22 million in restitution after pleading guilty to theft over $5,000.

Arsalan Chaudhary was arrested earlier in the year as he flew back from Dubai.

Police have said the heist involved a flight that arrived from Zurich, Switzerland on April 17, 2023, carrying a cargo shipment containing 400 kilograms of gold and about $2.5 million in foreign currency.

The items were reported missing from a separate area of Pearson airport the following day, investigators have said.

Another accused in the case in set to face trial in a few weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.