TORONTO —Police officers raided multiple warehouses in Vaughan and Toronto and recovered $1.4 million in stolen goods – the result of 15 separate cargo load thefts over the past several months.

“As a result of the warrants, 15 loads of cargo were recovered which contained merchandise including baby products, barbecues, household appliances, cleaning supplies, tools, musical instruments, forklifts, vehicle antifreeze and a baby grand piano,” York Regional Police said in a statement.

Most of the stolen cargo was returned to its rightful owners with the help of Insurance Board of Canada’s cargo theft reporting database.

Through the program, all property and casualty insurers in Canada, as well as trucking association members, can report cargo thefts online directly to IBC. IBC acts as a clearing house for cargo theft data, and collects, analyzes and shares information with a national network of law enforcement partners including Canadian and American border agencies.

IBC recently expanded its cargo theft reporting program nationwide. The program works with the Canadian Trucking Alliance and law enforcement to fight cargo crime.

Cargo crime costs Canadians up to $5 billion a year, according to IBC, and is a significant problem in transportation hubs in southern Ontario, Vancouver and Montreal.

“The bottom line is that this process will help prevent crimes and lead to faster turnaround of recovered stolen goods and prosecution of cargo theft criminals,” said Garry Robertson, IBC’s national director of investigative services.