Vancouver police crack down on stolen goods that turn up on downtown sidewalks
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VANCOUVER — 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.”
