VANCOUVER — Two men face more than a dozen charges each after British Columbia's provincial auto crime team recovered 29 high-end vehicles valued at $2.5 million.
RCMP say in a news release that they started their investigation in February when numerous newer-model trucks and SUVs were stolen across the Lower Mainland.
They say the vehicles, including Range Rovers and Toyota Tundras, were allegedly taken using sophisticated technology to get past anti-theft mechanisms.
The two suspects, aged 20 and 29 from Delta, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, were arrested last month and face 14 criminal charges, including theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000 and trafficking in stolen property.
The Mounties say they worked with officers in Vancouver, Delta, Langley and at the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Border Services Agency in their investigation.
Eugene Lum, the acting officer in charge of the auto crime team, says the owners of newer vehicles sometimes rely on their built-in, anti-theft devices, but criminals are exploiting weaknesses on specific models, taking them without a key fob.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2024.
The Canadian Press