Close X
Friday, October 18, 2024
ADVT 
National

Vancouver police crack down on stolen goods that turn up on downtown sidewalks

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Jun, 2024 03:47 PM
  • Vancouver police crack down on stolen goods that turn up on downtown sidewalks

Vancouver police say a crackdown on the sale of stolen goods that turn up on the sidewalks of the city's Downtown Eastside has led to five arrests and turned up more than $650,000 in cash, drugs and stolen property.

Insp. Mario Mastropieri says a shoplifting "epidemic" is fuelling an illicit market in stolen goods run by organized criminals, that's affecting small businesses, their staff, and customers.

He says in a statement that much of the stolen property "runs straight through the Downtown Eastside," where it's bought in plain sight, then re-sold online for profit.

Specialized investigators worked with front line officers this spring to track stolen property from store shelves to downtown sidewalks, where police say "organized fencing operations pay pennies on the dollar for stolen goods."

They say investigators then tracked stolen property — ranging from designer clothing to liquor to baby formula — to several homes in East Vancouver.

Police say search warrants stemming from the months-long operation led to five arrests, with suspects facing charges related to the possession of stolen property.

"Our work confirmed that fencing operations are fuelling an underground economy of shoplifting, and that some criminals are making thousands of dollars a week for buying and selling stolen merchandise," Mastropieri's statement says.

He says criminals have been recruiting desperate residents of the Downtown Eastside, where many struggle with addiction, to steal from stores in the area.

"They pay the thieves a fraction of the retail price for the merchandise they've stolen, then live comfortably off the avails of the goods they resell for big profits."

The suspects arrested in March, April and May include two men and three women, ranging in age from their 40s to their 60s.

Police say searches of two East Vancouver homes led to the recovery of $233,000 worth of stolen property and the seizure of two Toyota vehicles that investigators believe were being used to move the goods out of the Downtown Eastside.

At another property near Trout Lake Park, police say they seized $107,000 worth of stolen property as well as $10,000 worth of cocaine and fentanyl.

Police say the arrests are among nearly 1,200 they've made since launching a project to clamp down on "violent and chronic shoplifting" in February 2023.

MORE National ARTICLES

Woman suffering from gunshot wounds inside vehicle dies: Coquitlam RCMP

Woman suffering from gunshot wounds inside vehicle dies: Coquitlam RCMP
Police found a woman suffering from gunshot wounds inside a vehicle and immediately began lifesaving measures. The woman later passed away due to her injuries on scene. This is believed to be an isolated incident.

Woman suffering from gunshot wounds inside vehicle dies: Coquitlam RCMP

Bivalent COVID booster OK'd for kids

Bivalent COVID booster OK'd for kids
The Pfizer vaccine is the first "bivalent" shot to be approved for use in children. Health Canada says in a press release that after the thorough review, it has found the vaccine is safe and effective and that its benefits outweigh any potential risks when used as a booster dose.

Bivalent COVID booster OK'd for kids

14 Canadian cities certified as bird-friendly

14 Canadian cities certified as bird-friendly
The bird-friendly cities are: Halifax; Toronto, London, Hamilton, Burlington, Peterborough, Barrie, Halton Hills, Windsor and Guelph in Ontario; Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que.; Regina; Strathcona County, Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta; and Vancouver, Saanich and Lions Bay in B.C.

14 Canadian cities certified as bird-friendly

New B.C. finance minister inherits big surplus

New B.C. finance minister inherits big surplus
Conroy inherits a budget with a projected surplus of $5.7 billion this year, but the good times are not expected to last, with private and government forecasters saying B.C.'s economic growth will dip to less than one per cent next year.  

New B.C. finance minister inherits big surplus

WATCH: Emerging South Asian Community in Canada

WATCH: Emerging South Asian Community in Canada
1 in 5 people coming to Canada were born in India, the data shows, making it the top country of birth for recent arrivals. The growing South Asian diaspora is a player in the Canadian economy and if you are wanting to tap into the South Asian market find out all the platforms that Darpan Magazine offers.

WATCH: Emerging South Asian Community in Canada

2 women forcibly confined in a van, one of them assaulted & robbed of her money

2 women forcibly confined in a van, one of them assaulted & robbed of her money
It was determined early in the investigation that all of the occupants knew each other. Police took immediate action to locate the other remaining victim who was in the U-Haul van and allegedly being forcibly confined by a male and female suspect.

2 women forcibly confined in a van, one of them assaulted & robbed of her money