HUNTER: Toronto gold heist suspect caged for gun smuggling in U.S.

Apparently unable to shake his crime addiction, Brampton's Durante King-Mclean will now serve 160 months in an a U.S. federal prison

Published Jun 24, 2026  •  Last updated 4 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Cops allege the driver of the Pearson gold heist getaway truck was Durante King-Mclean, 25.

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Durante King-Mclean shares this with his criminal brethren: A profound inability to take the money and run.

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Instead of lying low in the wake of his alleged involvement in the spectacular $20-million gold heist at Pearson Airport, King-Mclean opted to keep on committing crimes.

After all, what were the odds of the man accused of being the getaway driver of the white van that whizzed away from Air Canada cargo building on April 17, 2023, carrying a king’s ransom in gold being nabbed?

Well, apparently pretty good.

Air Canada Cargo at Toronto Pearson International Airport, where a number of high-value items were stolen. Photo by Peter J. Thompson /Postmedia Network

While, none of the gold heist charges against King-Mclean have been proven in court, before that unfolds he will need to serve 160 months in an a U.S. federal prison.

The Brampton man pleaded guilty in May 2025 to conspiring with others to illegally traffic firearms from the U.S. to Canada. King-Mclean went down in flames on Monday in a U.S. federal court in Harrisburg, PA.

Let’s smuggle guns!

Someone in King-Mclean’s circle — maybe even him — decided it would a capital idea to smuggle enough guns to start a small war over the Canadian border. Here, they would be used to settle scores and enable boasting on the street.

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According to cops, King-Mclean was driving a rental vehicle in September 2023 when state troopers pulled him over. He then made an ill-advised run for it on foot that ended in handcuffs.

Inside the vehicle, cops found 65 handguns, each one hidden in a pair of socks. Two of the weapons were semi-autos for extra killing power and 11 had been reported stolen.

Arrested so far in connection with Project 24K are: (top row from left to right) Air Canada employee Parmpal Sidhu, 54, of Brampton, Amit Jalota, 40, of Oakville, Ammad Chaudhary, 43, of Georgetown, (bottom row from left to right) Ali Raza, 37, of Toronto, Prasath Paramalingam, 35, of Brampton, and Durante King-Mclean, a 25-year-old man from Brampton, who is currently in custody in the U.S. Photo by Handout /Peel Regional Police

Investigators claim King-Mclean had been laying low illegally in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following the Pearson robbery. He then headed north on the so-called “Iron Highway” that moves guns from the lax South to the U.S. Northeast and Canada.

In a case of let the money work for you, Peel Regional Police have alleged that the weaponry was almost certainly purchased with proceeds from the Pearson caper.

No healing lodges in U.S. prisons

Now, King-Mclean is on ice in an American prison where there are no healing lodges, soft-hearted (and headed) bureaucrats and fewer ideologically driven judges. It will be the worst of times for the young criminal.

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Still, his sentencing leaves me with a question that has plagued me since I was a kid: If a crook hits the jackpot with a big score, why not just walk away and, as Ving Rhames said in Pulp Fiction, “kick it in the Caribbean”?

There are a litany of reasons why they continue their felonious activities. Mainly, because like kids juiced up on a six-pack of Mountain Dew, they can’t help themselves.

Hard-wired for thrills

Criminals are usually bad with money and the job doesn’t offer pensions or RRSPs. At the same time, big dough escapades fund lux living with molls who want the best. They gamble too much, party too much, spend too much.

So now, you’ve pulled off a big job. The biggest of your criminal career. Beach? Skiing? Travel? None of the above.

Villains are hard-wired looking for thrills and an adrenaline rush. Experts call it a “behavioural loop.” Doing a regular job, Monday to Friday is unexciting, unfulfilling.

And crime is also central to their identity. All their buddies are crooks.

For King-Mclean, that’s what the next 13 years looks like. Jailbirds bragging to each other about their big scores and scheming for the next job.

Then it comes full circle.

Right back to prison.

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@HunterTOSun

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