Two other defendants still face trial on conspiracy charges

The withdrawals end more than three years of criminal proceedings against Jalota and Raza, whose charges Canadian prosecutors filed in the wake of the April 2023 theft. Both men had been accused of being in possession of either stolen gold or currency linked to the crime.

Lawyers for both men told Canadian media that their clients had long maintained their innocence and were relieved to be able to move forward with their lives. “They had their lives and livelihoods turned upside-down due to the now dropped charges,” the lawyers said.

In a separate statement provided to Canadian media, Jalota’s lawyer described the prosecution’s effect on his client. “He has been punitively and unreasonably punished for the last three years as he was forced to navigate the criminal justice system and the fall out of these allegations that were publicly broadcasted both nationally and internationally,” the statement said.

The heist occurred inside a cargo facility at Toronto Pearson Airport, after the gold arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland. Police allege someone accessed the goods by presenting a fake airway bill — a document that accompanies shipped items — and a truck was then used to drive off with roughly 400 kilograms (881 pounds) of gold.

In 2024, Peel Regional Police announced a series of charges and arrests linked to the theft. Two of the men named then have since had their charges dropped. Earlier in 2026, one man was sentenced to four years by a Canadian court for his role in helping plan the theft.

The U.S. Department of Justice has also pursued a related case. One man was sentenced to 160 months in a U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with others to illegally traffic firearms. He was stopped by police in Pennsylvania with 65 handguns in the trunk of his car. Canadian police alleged the money used to purchase the guns came from the heist.

Two other accused will face separate trials later this year over charges related to conspiracy to commit theft. Both have said they are not guilty.