Vancouver police say they have recovered more than $650,000 in cash, drugs, and stolen property as part of a bust “targeting organized criminals” accused of trafficking stolen goods in the Downtown Eastside.
According to police, many of the items recovered were shoplifted from local stores and then sold through organized “fencing operations” for “pennies on the dollar.”
Anti-fencing investigators worked with front-line officers to track stolen property, the VPD explains, noting they were in many cases led from the Downtown Eastside to homes in the city, “where police believe it was being resold online.”
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“The shoplifting epidemic is fueling an illicit market for stolen property that impacts small businesses, employees, and consumers,” said Insp. Mario Mastropieri.
He adds much of the illicit market “runs straight through the Downtown Eastside, where stolen property is bought and sold in plain sight, then resold for profit online.”
The VPD says criminal organizations “recruit” vulnerable people in the DTES to steal items from stores. These people are paid “a fraction of the retail price” for the goods they’ve stolen before the organized criminals resell the goods for much more.
In addition to the recovered cash, drugs, and items, police say five people were arrested as part of the bust. Police have also seized vehicles, they say.