Gold heist at Canada's Toronto airport could be country's biggest robbery in years

Huge quantities of gold and other valuables went missing from Pearson International Airport in Canada's Toronto city on Friday, in what has emerged as one of the biggest robberies of North America in recent times.

Canadian officials say more than $14.8m of gold and other valuables were stolen on Monday, 17 April.

The "high-value" aircraft container arrived at the airport in the evening and it was reportedly transported to a cargo holding facility.

According to the police, the heist took place at this exact cargo holding facility.

The theft could mark one of the bigger heists in Canadian history, BBC reported. Other heists of similar scale include the 2011 and 2012 Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, when 3,000 tonnes of syrup valued at $18.7m were stolen from a storage facility in Quebec.

Peel Regional Police inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said their team is investigating "all avenues" and described the incident as "isolated" and "rare".

He said the aircraft container was about 5 square feet (.46 square metres) in size.

The Toronto Sun reported earlier on Thursday that police thought organised crime groups were involved.

The Canadian police are now investigating the gold heist that have stunned many by its sheer scale.

The investigators are suspecting it to be an act of organised crime, initial reports in the Canadian media said.

Police have called the theft "very rare" and said they consider it to be an isolated incident which poses no threat to public safety.

Police do not yet know where the gold was headed or if it is still in Canada.