All of them have legal visas to enter and stay in Canada. But they did not come to the country to study or work. They were brought to the country for criminal operations. The Durham regional police arrested 46 individuals, including Indians, in connection with what they are now calling 'criminal tourism' -- where international organized crime groups are sending people to Canada for the purpose of high-profit crimes. The investigation named Project Jetsetter went on for years and over 200 incidents since 2019 and $2.6 million in financial losses have been linked to the network. 1,500 charges have been laid.
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The racket covered a wide range of crime: large-scale retail theft, vehicle-purchasing scams, jewelry theft, vehicle financing fraud and staging collisions to commit insurance fraud.
"They will exploit opportunities wherever they exist, and while the methods may vary, the goal remains the same: to profit at the expense of our residents, our businesses and communities," Durham police chief Peter Moreira said.
A majority of the arrested are from Romania and India.
