5 people arrested in Vancouver police DTES fencing sting

Vancouver police say they have arrested five people and put a dent in organized fencing operations that buy stolen merchandise brought to the Downtown Eastside.

Close to $650,000 in cash, drugs and stolen property has also been seized as part of Project Barcode, a VPD operation launched last year aimed at curbing violent and chronic shoplifters targeting retail stores in the city.

The arrests are a result of three investigations:

• A man and woman in their 60s seen buying stolen property on East Hasting Street were tracked to a home on East Georgia Street in Strathcona. Inside, there was a quantity of stolen electronics, designer clothing, over-the-counter pain medication and vitamins worth $150,000. Another $150,000 in cash was also seized.

• A man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s were observed buying stolen property near the intersection of East Hastings Street and Carrall Street. The investigation led to houses in the Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhoods where stolen goods worth $233,000 were recovered, including baby formula, athletic apparel, toiletries, vitamins, electronics and alcohol. Police also seized two cars used to commit the alleged crimes.

• A 52-year-old woman who was buying stolen property on the DTES led police to a home on Nanaimo Street near Trout Lake Park. There, they found stolen cosmetics, clothing, designer purses, athletic apparel, liquor and vitamins worth $107,000. Police also seized $10,000 worth of cocaine and fentanyl and an older car.

Speaking in front of a display of some of the retrieved goods, VPD spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison said the investigations focused on organized criminals making big profits.

"The purpose of the operations we undertook in the past months was to target those predatory, non-addicted organized fences who are making big profits off the backs of Downtown Eastside residents who are often forced into crime, recruited into crime and stealing just to make ends meet," said Addison.

Police say fences often put in orders with multiple shoplifters, asking for specific goods that they pay pennies on the dollar for.

VPD Inspector Mike Kim said the fence will then sell the stolen goods up the crime chain, often to illegitimate vendors that are sometimes located offshore. Or, said Kim, the fences will post the goods for sale on digital platforms like eBay, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace and Amazon.

'Steal-to-order' 

Retail Council of Canada spokesman Rui Rodrigues said the number of "steal-to-order" enterprises has grown by leaps and bounds since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"It's very easy for someone to set up a website and advertise goods that they don't have," he said. "You go on their [website] shop for goods, and if they don't have them, they'll put in an order with someone on the street to go steal it."

Retailers have long been asking for tougher police and court response to a rising tide of shoplifting and violent theft from stores. 

London Drugs made headlines last year when it said weapon-wielding shoplifters had become such a problem it was outfitting workers in some stores with stab vests.  

"Sadly, we're [not] seeing improvement, and we're making massive investments in training and safety programs, massive investments in security. And this is true of retailers all over Canada," said Tony Hunt, London Drugs's loss prevention general manager.

"We're having to invest millions and millions of dollars to try to cope with this societal pressure and this build-up of crime over the last four to five years."

The five people arrested are all facing possession of stolen property charges.