Two men from Delta are facing more than a dozen charges after B.C.’s provincial auto crime team recovered stolen high-end vehicles valued at $2.5 million.
The Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) began investigating in February after numerous trucks and SUVs were stolen across the Lower Mainland.
IMPACT reportedly recovered 29 stolen vehicles with an estimated total value of approximately $2.5 million.
Police say the two suspects, 29-year-old Mohamed Wael Ozor and 20-year-old Omar Wael Ozor, were arrested last month in Surrey. Borth are facing 14 criminal charges, including theft of a motor vehicle worth over $5,000 and trafficking in stolen property.
The RCMP says the vehicles were allegedly taken using sophisticated technology to get past anti-theft mechanisms.
“New vehicle owners sometimes assume that built-in, anti-theft mechanisms and new technology means their vehicle is less likely to be stolen,” said Eugene Lum, the acting officer in charge of the auto crime team.
“The reality is criminals can use technology to find and exploit weaknesses of specific, newer vehicles and steal them without a key fob.”
The Lower Mainland District RCMP recommends you prevent thefts by double-checking that your doors are locked, by using a steering wheel lock or immobilizer, or by hiding a GPS tracking device somewhere on your vehicle.