Waterloo Regional Police recover 52 vehicles from chop shop in North Dumfries, Ont.

Three men are facing charges after police found 52 high-end vehicles at a chop shop in North Dumfries, Ont.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) was called on Nov. 23 about a Toyota Tundra that had been stolen from the Greater Toronto Area. They were told the vehicle could be found at a business on Darrell Drive.

Officers arrested two men at the property.

Investigators said they later discovered a “substantial chop shop” on Darrell Drive.

“At the business, the officers located what is commonly referred to as a chop shop. That's a place where stolen vehicles are disassembled for parts to be sold separately later on,” Supt. Shaena Morris, with the Investigative Services Division of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, said.

Disassembled vehicles are seen in this undated image after Waterloo Regional Police Service dismantled a chop shop in North Dumfries, Ont. (Courtesy: Waterloo Regional Police Service)

Police said the chop shop was operating on the same property as a legitimate business called Kapila Transport Inc.

Kapila declined an interview, but told CTV News that they only learned about the illegal activity when police contacted them. Kapila said it is still open and operating in Ayr.

During the investigation, they found the stolen Toyota Tundra and two newer Lexus vehicles that had also been reported as stolen from the GTA.

All told, 52 high-end vehicles were recovered, including three vehicles that had not yet been stripped for parts. The majority of the vehicles were known targets for reprogramming thefts, including Toyota Highlanders, Toyota Tundras, Lexus RX350s, Dodge Rams and Ford F150s.

The total value of the vehicles is estimated at $4 million. An additional $80,000 worth of tools and three forklifts were also seized.

Disassembled vehicles are seen in this undated image after Waterloo Regional Police Service dismantled a chop shop in North Dumfries, Ont. (Courtesy: Waterloo Regional Police Service)

A 73-year-old man and a 36-year-old male, both from Cambridge, and a 29-year-old man from Township of North Dumfries were charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.

Investigators believe the chop shop had been running since October and the parts were being shipped overseas to repair other stolen vehicles.

“It certainly has a significant impact, but we know it is a prevalent issue throughout the province, the country, and there's still more work to do,” Supt. Morris said.

WRPS said they worked with members of the Équité Association, an independent organization supporting Canadian insurers to fight fraud, to execute the search warrant at the North Dumfries property.

“The investigation is continuing. We are not stopping our efforts in following through on what we found,” Supt. Morris said.