WHALLEY — Surrey RCMP say they’ve busted a retail theft operation in Whalley.
On March 24, officers with the North Community Response Unit executed a search warrant at a business in the 10600-block of King George Boulevard.
Police suspect the operators were allegedly buying stolen goods from “vulnerable persons” in the area, then reselling them for a profit.
The Surrey RCMP’s Property Crime Target Team and Drug Section, along with Vancouver Police Department’s Anti-Fencing Unit, seized thousands of dollars of products ranging from batteries to baby formula to cosmetics.
“Typically these fencing operations will supply other stores as well so I can’t say with certainty where these items were destined to end up,” said Surrey RCMP Corporal Scotty Schumann. “The investigation is still on-going, so investigators are just in process of preparing a report to Crown Counsel.”
Police are working with retail partners to return the allegedly stolen goods.
Surrey’s bylaw department is currently investigating the alleged business license violations.
“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.”
Tony Hunt, general manager of loss prevention for London Drugs, says “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.
“Organized retail theft impacts the safety and security of our employees and the public,” Hunt added. “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, or to remain anonymous, 1-800-222-TIPS or go to www.solvecrime.ca.
For more information on how to how to protect your business please visit the Surrey RCMP’s website.
