The Ontario man who police say was integral in the biggest gold heist in Canadian history has pleaded guilty in an American court to related gun-smuggling charges.
Durante King-McLean, 26, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday before United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson in Harrisburg, Penn. to a single count of conspiring with others to illegally traffic in firearms.
No date has been set for his sentencing or possible extradition to Canada.
King-McLean faces a potential sentence of 15 years imprisonment in the U.S., a $250,000 US fine and a three-year term of supervised release.
He had originally faced the possibility of 35 years in custody in the U.S.
He has yet to be tried on charges of fleeing with $24 million CAD in gold bars and cash from Pearson airport on April 17, 2023.
U.S. police said Wednesday he is from Cambridge, Ontario, but police said earlier said he was from Brampton.
King-McLean was the sole occupant of a rental Nissan Sentra pulled over in a traffic stop on Sept. 2, 2023, by Pennsylvania State Police in Franklin County.
He fled on foot and was caught after a brief foot chase, acting U.S. States Attorney John C. Gurganus said in a prepared statement.
A search of his rental car led to the recovery of 65 handguns in the vehicle鈥檚 trunk, 鈥渁ll individually concealed in socks,鈥 Gurganus said.
鈥淥f the 65 handguns that were recovered, two were fully automatic, 11 were stolen, and one had an obliterated serial number,鈥 Gurganus said.
King-Mclean had been in communication with co-conspirators from April 2023 until his arrest on Sept. 2, 2023, Gurganus said.
King-McLean had stayed at an Airbnb in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., until he rented the Sentra at the end of August 2023, then headed north with the illegally purchased handguns, Gurganus said.
While in custody in the U.S., King-McLean was charged by Canadian authorities for his alleged participation in the heist of approximately $24 million from the Air Canada cargo terminal at Toronto鈥檚 Pearson International Airport.
Shortly after the gold heist, King-McLean headed south to the U.S., authorities said.
鈥淜ing-Mclean鈥檚 international firearms trafficking scheme had 65 guns destined for the hands of violent criminals and other prohibited people who threaten their communities,鈥 said Eric J. DeGree of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in a prepared statement.
鈥淎TF鈥檚 highest priority is reducing violent gun crime, and thanks to our cooperative efforts, this action kept dozens of crime guns off the street 鈥 preventing them from being used in any number of killings and other crimes,鈥 DeGree said.
King-McLean originally pleaded not guilty in the U.S. to charges of conspiracy to traffic in firearms; illegal alien in possession of a firearm; attempt to unlawfully export firearms; illegal possession of a machine-gun; possession of firearm with obliterated serial number; and possession of a stolen firearm.
A key part of the prosecution鈥檚 case against King-McLean in the U.S. was a series of text messages, including several exchanges on Threema, an encrypted instant messaging platform, and Instagram.
The gold was stolen from an Air Canada warehouse in April 2023 shortly after arriving from Zurich on an Air Canada flight.
The crate contained currency gold bars from Switzerland, valued at $21,528,000 and destined for the TD Bank in Toronto.
A truck pulled up to the warehouse and its driver, who police believe was King-McLean, produced a genuine Air Canada waybill.
While the waybill was genuine, it was for seafood that had already been collected, not gold bullion.
A forklift was used to deliver the gold to the truck.
Police studied security footage from 225 homes and businesses to track it鈥檚 journey, westbound on Highway 401 past James Snow Parkway to Bronte Road, where it headed north, past a church north of Milton and into the dark and rural area.
The driver removed a glove along the way, police say, giving them a fingerprint which they say connects King-McLean to the crime.
Police believe the gold was melted down in a 海角社区官网jewelry store, making it impossible to trace.
All that was recovered by police was six bulky gold bangles, believed to have been made with the stolen gold.
Since then, police have said they believe that suspect Arsalan (Sonny) Chaudhary, formerly of Mississauga has fled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which doesn鈥檛 have an extradition treaty with Canada.
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