Vancouver police say a crackdown on the sale of stolen goods that turn up on the sidewalks of the city害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渆pidemic害羞草研究所� is fuelling an illicit market in stolen goods run by organized criminals, that害羞草研究所檚 affecting small businesses, their staff, and customers.

He says in a statement that much of the stolen property 害羞草研究所渞uns straight through the Downtown Eastside,害羞草研究所� where it害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渙rganized fencing operations pay pennies on the dollar for stolen goods.害羞草研究所�

They say investigators then tracked stolen property 害羞草研究所� ranging from designer clothing to liquor to baby formula 害羞草研究所� to several homes in East Vancouver.

Police say search warrants stemming from the months-long operation led to five arrests, with suspects facing charges related to the possession of stolen property.

害羞草研究所淥ur work confirmed that fencing operations are fuelling an underground economy of shoplifting, and that some criminals are making thousands of dollars a week for buying and selling stolen merchandise,害羞草研究所� Mastropieri害羞草研究所檚 statement says.

He says criminals have been recruiting desperate residents of the Downtown Eastside, where many struggle with addiction, to steal from stores in the area.

害羞草研究所淭hey pay the thieves a fraction of the retail price for the merchandise they害羞草研究所檝e stolen, then live comfortably off the avails of the goods they resell for big profits.害羞草研究所�

The suspects arrested in March, April and May include two men and three women, ranging in age from their 40s to their 60s.

Police say searches of two East Vancouver homes led to the recovery of $233,000 worth of stolen property and the seizure of two Toyota vehicles that investigators believe were being used to move the goods out of the Downtown Eastside.

At another property near Trout Lake Park, police say they seized $107,000 worth of stolen property as well as $10,000 worth of cocaine and fentanyl.

Police say the arrests are among nearly 1,200 they害羞草研究所檝e made since launching a project to clamp down on 害羞草研究所渧iolent and chronic shoplifting害羞草研究所� in February 2023.

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