A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with what Hamilton police are calling a years-long criminal enterprise that trafficked stolen vehicles through a local dealership.

In a news release Friday, police said the arrest comes in the wake of an extensive auto theft probe, dubbed Project Big Cat, involving its B.E.A.R. Unit, Équité Association, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council and neighbouring police services.

During the investigation, Bengal Auto — an auto sales dealership on Dunbar Avenue — was identified as having trafficked stolen vehicles over “several years,” according to police.

“Stolen vehicles were fraudulently registered through the dealership, with vehicle identification numbers (VINs) cloned or altered to appear l

See Full Page