Ontario man faces Canadian court over theft of hurricane relief supplies headed to Jamaica
Published:Thursday | April 23, 2026 | 10:54 AMKaren Madden/Gleaner Writer
A man from Brampton, Ontario, in Canada has been arrested and slapped with multiple charges following the theft of relief supplies destined for Jamaica, in the wake of the devastation the island sustained during Hurricane Melissa in October last year.
According to the Peel Regional Police in Ontario, the Commercial Auto Crime Bureau laid charges on 40-year-old Varinder Dhillon.
The police said Dhillon is currently on probation for similar offences and has been prohibited from driving indefinitely.
Several charity groups, comprising Jamaicans, procured thousands of Canadian dollars in relief supplies, including clothing and non-perishable goods, which was stored in a container at a secured facility in Mississauga, ahead of shipping to Jamaica.
The Peel Investigators allege that, on December 3 last year, just after 5 a.m., a suspect broke into the storage facility with a transport truck, which he hitched to a trailer with the shipping container and fled the area.
As a result of the investigation, more than CAD$1 million of stolen property was recovered shortly after the theft and was returned to its rightful owner and later shipped to Jamaica, where it was to be dispersed for hurricane relief.
Dhillon remains in custody after being arrested at his house in early March.
The accused has been charged with breaking and entering and committing an indictable offence, two counts of theft of over CAD$5,000, two counts of operation while prohibited, three counts of breach of probation order, failing to comply with release order and three counts of possession of property obtained by crime.