Mint Contacts RCMP After $110K In Gold Gets Stolen
(Kitco News) - The Royal Canadian Mint seems to have another gold theft on their hands, just three years after Mint’s former employee stole $190,000 worth of gold nuggets by hiding them in his rectum.
This time around $110,000 worth of gold is missing, Canadian media quoted the Mint as saying.
“Last month, as a result of robust internal inventory processes, employees of the Royal Canadian Mint reported a small amount of gold missing from the premises,” Mint spokesperson Alison Crawford told CBC News.
The Mint contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) after discovering that two kilograms of gold were missing from the castle-like headquarters located in Ottawa.
“At the conclusion of an internal investigation and administrative review, the mint terminated the employment of one of its staff and asked the RCMP to investigate,” Crawford said.
The RCMP will conduct its own investigation, while the gold is yet to be recovered.
The incident comes after a former Mint employee Leston Lawrence was sentenced to 30 months in jail in November 2016 for smuggling $190,000 worth of gold in his rectum out of the Ottawa facility in December 2014.
VIDEO: Kitco News Talks To Royal Canadian Mint About Security and Innovation | @DanielaCambone @CanadianMint | https://t.co/xWjPLoXZcg pic.twitter.com/so6VUDqAwS
— Kitco NEWS (@KitcoNewsNOW) January 22, 2018Lawrence managed to get his hands on 22 gold “pucks,” which he then sold to a local gold buyer.
Gold theft at the Mint is a rare occurrence, said Crawford. “Incidents of this nature are very uncommon, especially given the extraordinary volume of precious materials handled at our facilities,” she said. “Our vigorous security measures and protocols are subject to ongoing scrutiny and evaluation, and the mint remains committed to managing risks to our products and facilities.”
As RCMP takes on the investigation, the Mint will not be making any more comments, Crawford stated.
By Anna GolubovaFor Kitco News
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