Investigators with Road Safety Services (RSS) have arrested and charged two individuals in connection with counterfeit licence plates linked to multiple criminal investigations across Canada, including more than 30 in Ontario.
Through investigative efforts, officers identified a registered online business believed to have knowingly produced and sold counterfeit licence plates for use on vehicles.
Following a lengthy investigation, RSS members executed a search warrant on April 7. Officers attended two addresses in Hamilton and arrested two individuals without incident.
As a result, Avery Macleod-Nolk, 28, and Tyler Matthew Macleod, 27, both of Hamilton, were charged with the following offences:
- Unlawfully Making Marks
- Selling or Possessing Counterfeit Marks
- Affixing a Mark
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
Both of the accused were released on an undertaking.
Investigators seized items used to produce and distribute counterfeit licence plates, including currency, plate‑pressing equipment, fraudulent blank plates from multiple jurisdictions, promotional materials, vehicles, and other related items.
It is alleged that these counterfeit licence plates have been used in offences involving fraud, organized auto theft, violence and firearms.
In one incident, on June 12, 2025, at approximately 8 a.m., a male operating a stolen vehicle equipped with these counterfeit plates fled from police while impaired before crashing on Dixie Road. The individual was subsequently arrested after attempting to take control of another vehicle.
QUOTE
“Counterfeit licence plates pose a serious threat to public safety. This investigation underscores the strong collaboration between our specialized units and frontline officers, and our shared commitment to identifying those responsible and holding them fully accountable.”
— Deputy Chief Marc Andrews, Peel Regional Police
