Cooperation, solid police work lead to recovery of $440,000 in trucks and appliances

Files 21-8567 and 21-8608

Delta Police pieced together a recent theft of two trucks from one area of Delta, with the theft of two trailers from another area, then worked with other Metro Vancouver forces to successfully recover nearly all the stolen merchandise.

Police were called April 19 about the theft of two tractor trailer trucks from a business located in Tilbury.  Together the trucks were valued at $75,000.

Later the same day a report about two stolen tractor trailer units came into police. The trailers were taken from Annacis island. Both trailers were full of appliances – which are in high demand these days, as the pandemic has disrupted the supply chain for such items. In total about $280,000 (retail value) of appliances was stolen, in addition to the $85,000 value of the two trailers.

“The constable working on the theft of the trucks then began working on this new complaint, to determine if the files might be linked,” explains Inspector Ciaran Feenan, head of frontline patrol. “She kept digging, following a trail of evidence, and then determined the trucks may have been driven to Langley.”

With the assistance of the Langley RCMP, both trucks and one trailer were located in Langley on April 20. The recovered trailer was still full of the appliances.

“Our officer was pleased with this recovery, but kept working,” says Insp. Feenan. “The evidence led her to Abbotsford – where she and the Abbotsford police gathered enough information to write a warrant for a property where it seemed an attempt had been made to hide a suspicious amount of large boxes.”

Delta and Abbotsford Police attended that property April 23, and were able to recover all the stolen appliances, in their original boxes – save one lone microwave.

“Thefts such as these don’t just impact large companies – they impact consumers and homeowners who are waiting on the delivery of these type of goods,” says Insp. Feenan. “I’m very pleased our officers, working with their counterparts in Langley and Abbotsford, were able to recover nearly all the goods, more than 150 appliances in total.”