CANADIAN $2 coins, valued at Can $3 million and weighing as much as 60 metric tonnes, were the objects of a police search yesterday after a truck carrying the coins was hijacked eight days ago, police told the Canadian Press agency.
In what the Royal Canadian mint is calling the largest theft of coins in the nation's history, bold thieves entered a railroad yard in central Montreal during the day, found a tractor trailer carrying 1.5 million Can $2 coins and drove off, the agency reported.
"It was broad daylight and people didn't notice the disappearance of the truck," Montreal Police Chief Insp Robert Picard, told the news agency on Friday.
The truck was found in the suburbs, minus the coins, called "toonies".
Prospects for their recovery are not good, according to Mr Joean-Pierre Tremblay, vice president of manufacturing for the Canadian mint.
"There is no way of tracing the toonies because they are not numbered," Tremblay said. "We've produced and issued up to now about 225 million Can $2 coins (this year) and I would suspect they're all identical.
"I wouldn't put any money on it," he replied when asked about the chances for recovery. According to Mr Picard, who is in charge of the investigation, the money arrived in Montreal the day before the theft on July 20th.
"We're not saying it was or wasn't an inside job," said Mr Picard, "but this trailer truck was among a lot of others. It wasn't alone. There are thousands of containers and trucks there."
The inspector is more optimistic than Trembley that the thieves will be caught.
"If the guys use the coins to get everything they buy in their life," he said, "people are going to start to ask questions. It's not easy to get rid of."