Surrey RCMP advises that a retail theft fencing operation was shut down recently in the City Centre area.
On March 24th, 2017 officers with the Surrey RCMP’s North Community Response Unit (CRU) executed a search warrant at a business in the 10600 block of King George Boulevard. Police had gathered information that the operators of the business were allegedly purchasing stolen merchandise from vulnerable persons in the area and reselling these products for a profit.
With assistance from the Surrey RCMP’s Property Crime Target Team (PCTT) and Drugs Section, Vancouver Police Department’s Anti-Fencing Unit, and the local Loss Prevention community, officers recovered thousands of dollars of consumer products ranging from batteries to baby formula to cosmetics (see photos attached).
The investigation is currently ongoing and officers are working with their retail partners to identify the source of all the property. In addition, the City of Surrey Bylaw Enforcement Department is currently investigating the alleged business license violations.
Some of the alleged stolen merchandise seized during a recent search warrant on a retail theft fencing operation Some of the alleged stolen merchandise seized during a recent search warrant on a retail theft fencing operation
Retail theft and the subsequent illegal activity that occurs is an ongoing issue across the region that our officers take very seriously, says Surrey RCMP Community Support and Safety Officer Inspector Andy LeClair.
Working with our law enforcement partners to crackdown on large scale shoplifting operations allows us to ensure the safety and security of our business community as well as the general public.
The recent efforts by the Surrey RCMP to identify and shut down illegal stolen property operations is a positive step towards reducing potentially dangerous criminal interactions in retail stores, says Tony Hunt, General Manager of Loss Prevention, London Drugs.
Organized retail theft impacts the safety and security of our employees and the public. This is especially true when it involves vulnerable persons in our society who have been coerced into committing these acts by individuals preying on their dependencies.
Anyone with information about possible retail theft operations in their community is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers, if you wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-TIPS or go to www.solvecrime.ca.
